


Midnight Crusade

by bioshockgirl96



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I got a little carried away, Imprinting, Keith is edgy sad vampire boy, M/M, Magic, Major Injury, Mind Control, Plot Twists, Slow Burn, Vampire AU, Vampire Keith (Voltron), Vampire Shiro (Voltron), Witch Allura (Voltron), bonding moment, everyone is basically a vampire besides Allura/Lance/Hunk/Pidge/Coran/Nyma/Romelle, keith pov, lance pov, lots of blood, slight gore, whoops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2019-10-12 08:19:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 66,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17463920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bioshockgirl96/pseuds/bioshockgirl96
Summary: Lance has a semi-peaceful life working at a coffee shop in a small lake town with his friends, but when one of their co-workers is killed, Lance begins having feverish nightmares that seem a little too connected with that night. A fateful run in with a darkly clad figure seems to bring back his memories, and Lance finds himself tossed in the middle of a war he had no idea was raging on within the small town of Altea. Ensue drama, romance and a lot of pain with fluff to stitch up the wounds.(more tags to come)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to my new fic! I've been out of writing for a while and had this idea stuck in my head for the longest time, so I fleshed it out and present it to you! I have the first couple of chapters written and am currently on a writing spree, so more will follow.
> 
> I hope you enjoy my klance vampire au! Thank you for reading!
> 
> s.n: There are no betas so I apologize for any grammar/spelling errors!!

Lance didn’t usually work early shifts at the shop, but ever since recently, he feels weird about going outside after dark. It’s strange, he can’t remember when he began to feel that way. He suspects if might be from after his co-workers death, who worked a closing shift and was attacked by some type of animal on her way her. It had been over a week and still no more news came out about what happened.

 

“Earth to Lance?” A voice hang in his head, blue eyes moving from their dazed position to look at Pidge, his other co-worker who still happened to be alive. “You’re going to burn yourself.”

 

“What?” He replied, gaze moving from green eyes to the paper cup in his hand, boiling coffee dangerously close to the rim as it flowed out of the pot. “Oh, shit.” Lance spat out next as he quickly cut off the stream, a few drops stinging his hand in the process. He could hear laughing from beyond the counter. “You could have said something earlier!”

 

“I could have said nothing at all!” Pidge yells back, not even bothering to turn around as they walk out the front door, heading to clean the tables out front.

 

Lance only rolls his eyes before lidding the coffee he was pouring and calling the name out. “Nyma!” He watches as a tall blonde walks towards the counter, hair in a high ponytail with a yellow turtleneck hugging her small frame. What was even weirder, Lance thought, was she wore a blue bralette over the turtleneck. Still, the outfit worked for her and she was 100% cute.

 

A smirk grew across Lance’s face as he leaned on the counter as the girl approached. “You come here often?” He asked as slyly as he could. It made his heart swell when the girl giggled, taking the coffee from his hand.

 

“Oh, aren’t you cute? I bet that works on all the ladies.” She replies, instantly shooting Lance down. He couldn’t help but feel a slight sting as she turned and walked out of the shop.

 

“Can’t win them all Lance.” A deep, warm voice spoke from behind him. Hunk walked out of the back with a sheet full of fresh croissants. “My mother did always say cooking is the way to the heart.”

 

“I thought it was 'the stomach is the way to the heart'.” Lance responds, leaning against the counter before crossing his arms. “But whatever, have you heard any new news about Iris?”

 

Hunk pauses for a moment, one hand delicately holding a croissant while the other held the baking sheet up. “Nothing yet.” The large boy quickly finishes placing the croissants in the display shelf before hurrying back to the kitchen.

 

It wasn’t strange, given the odd circumstances of their co-workers death. What made it even stranger was that Lance had been working a closing shift too that night, but he doesn’t remember anything past a certain point. He’s been scraping and pulling apart his mind trying to figure out the missing information, but he always comes back blank. At least when he’s awake.

 

Dreams have been plaguing him, more like nightmares though, of shadows and blood, of Iris and some other figure with red eyes and sharp teeth. A shiver runs down his spine as he thinks about it, shaking it off literally before turning back towards the front, watching as Pidge walks in with a tray full of glasses and mugs.

 

“Lance?” The boy turns to look at his manager, the woman sporting long white hair despite being in her twenties. She was beautiful, her expression always gentle looking with hairs falling out of her loose bun framing her face. “How are you doing?”

 

It took Lance a moment to realize exactly what Allura was asking about. It had been a little over a week since Iris was killed in the alleyway besides their coffee shop. He had been working too that night, even coming in before Iris had. Still, the ending of the night goes from cloudy to black quickly. “Oh, I’m doing okay I guess.”

 

“Any progression?” She inquired, and he knew what she was referring too. She also wanted to know what happened that night. Still, he couldn’t offer her answers when he had none himself.

 

“No… I… I still don’t-.” Lance begins, averting his eyes as if he felt ashamed of himself which he did slightly.

 

Allura cuts him off with a wave of her hand though. “It’s okay, you shouldn’t rush things like this. Just let me know if you need anything, okay? You’re more than welcome to go home if you need to.”

 

A smile grows on Lances face as he can feel the sincerity radiating off of his manger. “Thank you Allura, I really appreciate that. I’m okay for now though. I know this place would set itself on fire without me.”

 

“I think we should be worried about him setting the place on fire.” Pidge chimed in as they walked behind the counter, clean mugs and plates in hand.

 

Lance shoots a look at Pidge, the dirty blonde only returning a smug look as they put away the dishes. “I am very well versed in handling fire, thank you very much. I even staged my own firework show when I was ten!”

 

“You mean the one where you set Ms. Olettes cat on fire?” Hunk decides to add in from across the cafe, Lances eyebrow twitching at the comment.

 

“Almost, don’t forget the word almost!” Lance yells out, but the group around him was already dispersing as a customer walked in, all four of them chiming in to welcome them.

 

The rest of his day went by smoothly, his shift ending around three with the sun still at a good point in the sky. He didn’t live far from the shop at all, so he walked to and from work on most days.

 

Altea rested against a large lake with forests surrounding the whole area. There was only one road in and out of town on the far southeast side of town, the road stretching into town and eventually ending right at the edge of the forest. Even for such a small town, there was everything you could ever need right in town. It made leaving Altea something that people living here didn’t do often, and could be a hassle with the next town being a two hour drive.

 

Walking into his apartment, Lance instantly felt all his stress vanish as he door closed behind him. He was met with the sound of water outside and the wooden wind chimes he had hung up in a window. Plants were scattered across his apartment, some in little racks, some sitting on banisters and tables, and some hanging from the ceiling in either pots or different shaped terrariums. Even though his studio apartment was small, he made sure it felt like his home.

 

A short walk from the front door and Lance flopped onto his bed, face pressed into the plush blanket that was thrown across. He wanted to nap, the stress from the past week making his bones ache and muscles sore. It wasn’t really a conscious decision to fall asleep, but it happened nonetheless.

 

He floated in blackness for a while, his mind and body numb. But then a chime sounded, similar to a bell, and he was suddenly standing in the coffee shop. The edges of his vision were blurry, but everything seemed to come into focus when he looked. A glass bakery case to his left, a long counter with various drink making machines to his right, and in front of him large glass windows that looked out to the lake, the moon just peaking through the top of the window.

 

Lance’s body tensed as Iris walked right past him, amber hair pulled into a tight bun atop her head. She still had on the cafes apron, the name _Cafe Of The Lions_ in script across the top with a a cup of coffee under the last word. Purple, that was the color of her apron, and it moved like a blur across his vision as Iris walked past him and to the back door leading to the alley way.

 

_Don’t go out there!_ “Have a good night Iris!” Lance spoke instead, unable to control his voice. He could only watch as she turned around and smiled.

 

“You too Lance.” Her voice was warped, almost like they were underwater, and then she was gone, the closed door making his chest feel empty.

 

Suddenly a sensation ran up his body, his toes going cold at first until it traveled up his legs, into his fingertips and past his throat. No time past and he was in the alley beside the cafe, feeling darker then it should with the moon in the sky. A sharp shriek pulled his attention back to a dark figure standing in the middle of the alleyway, the only thing Lance could see was blood dripping down what could be the figures face, and sharp fangs where lips should be.

 

“Lance…” Blue eyes moved down to a figure on the ground, Iris. Her neck was covered in blood, soaking her apron and clothes, and a pool of blood on the ground where she lay. He wanted to say something, he wanted to scream or run, but he was frozen where he was. Then the figure lunged at him.

 

Lance awoke with a sharp gasp, the sudden movement of his jolting up causing him to fall of the bed, landing hard on his ass, blankets and a few pillows following. He didn’t move from the spot, chest heavy and vision spinning as he tried to focus on the ceiling above him. A thin layer of sweat covered his body, yet the cold air flowing in from the open windows makes him shiver.

 

Faintly, he hears the buzz of a phone, but he doesn’t move from his position until he realizes its _his_ phone buzzing. Sitting up was a slow motion, the room spinning as he did so. The first thing he noticed was that the sun had set and darkness had taken its place. It unsettled him, Lance pushing off the ground onto weak legs before wobbling over to the large window of his apartment and closing it.

 

Silence filled the small apartment and it somehow made Lance feel even worse. Still, having the window open made him anxious, the recent nightmares he’s been having revolving heavily around the dark. And blood. And death.

 

Lance remembers his phone buzzed and moved towards the counter where he left his phone when he first got home. First, he saw that it was just past midnight, second, he had a few texts from Hunk and Pidge. It seems they were trying to make plans for tonight, which Lance had already slept through. He hopes they were able to still have fun without him.

 

After turning on all the lights in his apartment, which wasn’t a lot, Lance sat down on his bed and turned on the small TV he had sitting on his dresser. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to sleep easily, he already had a lineup of shows to watch in situations like this.

 

So he got comfy, making himself a cup of hot chocolate before curling back in his bed and sipping while he watches the prime episodes of The Office. A tinge at the side of Lances neck makes his head swing to the side, eyes wide as he looks out one of his windows into the inky blackness of the night. It almost felt like someone was… watching him?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta so I apologize for grammar/spelling mistakes!

Lance didn’t fall asleep easily that night, making waking up early even harder. Still, he managed to wake up, make himself some coffee, and sit in the window of his apartment facing the lake. He was still tense from the night before, but the second time he fell asleep, he didn’t dream at all. That was definitely better then the nightmares that were plaguing him.

 

The phone to his left began ringing, Lance reaching out and answering before even looking at the caller ID. “Hello?”

 

“ _Hey Lance! Did you see the email Allura sent out?_ ” Hunks voice comes through the phone, a familiar voice comforting despite the worry that seemed to be laced within the words.

 

“Email? I don’t think so.” Lance responds before standing from the window, walking to his small desk pushed to the far corner of his apartment. “What was it about?” He asks as he opens his laptop and logs in.

 

“ _One of her friends was attacked. Romelle._ ” The boys voice was soft, as if he was going to get in trouble for telling Lance such information. There was a pause, not very long, and was broken by Hunks breath. “ _She’s closing the shop for today and tomorrow. Romelle is in the hospital._ ”

 

Lance was barely listening as he fumbled with the keys, opening his email and looking for the message from his manager. Surely enough it was there with the subject line _More Unfortunate News, Closing Cafe For A Couple Days._ His fingers hovered over the keys, breath caught in his throat. “Do you think it’s the same thing that attacked Iris?”

 

“ _Pidge and I think so. From the details we’ve heard… and some Pidge had gotten their hands on, the two attacks seem really familiar._ ” Hunk says quietly, as if not wanting anyone around him to hear. Hunk was probably still at home like Lance was.

 

Lance pulled at his lip as he thought, foot tapping against the floor as the sound flowing from outside filled the room. “Meet me at the docks with Pidge. We gotta talk.”

 

It was only about twenty minutes later that Lance watched as Pidge and Hunk strode towards him, pants rolled up to his knees as feet just broke the surface of the lake beneath the dock. Pidge had decided to wear a white t-shirt that was cut a little short and light blue overall type shorts, while Hunk wore a soft orange tank with some regular cargo shorts.

 

“I was planning on sleeping in you know.” Pidge says as they sit down on the right side of Lance, Hunk taking the spot to his left.

 

“I bet you were, but you’re going to be glad you woke up for this.” Lance says quietly, looking around them to make sure that there was no one within hearing range. “We need to talk about the attacks.”

 

“Iris and Romelle? I don’t know, that’s pretty dark stuff. The autopsy report and Romelles statement are both really spooky.” Hunk says, leaning over to place elbows on his knees, hands coming up to hold his face.

 

“Like what?” Lance asks, looking between his two friends.

 

It was quiet for a moment, an exchange happening between Pidge and Hunk before Pidge spoke. “Romelle’s attacker had red eyes, nails like claws, and teeth like fangs.”

 

“Not a mouth full of fangs though.” Hunk chimes in, pointing a finger out to pull both Pidge and Lances attention. “Just a pair of fangs. Similar to the two holes left of Iris’s neck.”

 

“And the bite mark found on Romelles arm. They think she was trying to defend herself before those people who saved her showed up. There were barely any blunt teeth marks, but two deep circular puncture wounds.” Pidge pulls both of their eyes, Lance feeling his stomach tighten just talking about it.  “Iris was completely drained of blood, her body was freezing when they found her.”

 

“And Romelle apparently had lost a lot of blood from the one bite mark.” The voice to left spoke again, Hunk looking over the water, Pidge and Lance following. “You know what it sounds like?”

 

“Don’t say it. That’s stupid.” Pidge scoffed with a roll of their eyes. Crossing their arms and slumping their back, the dirty blonde sighing. “Maybe some cult fanatic.”

 

“A cult fanatic in Altea? Yeah right.” Lance was the one to scoff this time, placing hands behind his back so he could lean on them and look to the sky. “Maybe a cannibal?”

 

“Nah, a cannibal would take the body not leave it.” Pidge replies coldy, making both Lance and Hunk snap.

 

“Hey, too soon!” Lance yelled, throwing his arms up.

 

“Pidge! That’s horrible!” Hunk opposed, sitting up from his slouched position.

 

“Hey, I’m sorry okay! But this is a weird situation and none of us want to say the ‘v’ word.” Pidge defends themself, hands covering their chest.

 

“Voldemort?” Lance asks smugly, face already showing he knew that wasn’t the right answer as Hunk and Pidge look to him. “Okay, vampires.”

 

“Yes, vampires. That’s some fantasy, made up shit-.” Pidge begins, waving their arms around in order to exaggerate.

 

“But I mean, look at the evidence Pidge, could be vampires.” Lance replies, a hand on his chin as he thinks, the over arm crossed over his chest.

 

“It’s not vampires.” Pidge says, rolling their eyes before looking around. “And if someone hears us, we’ll sound crazy.”

 

“But what if it is vampires?” Hunk says quietly, pulling at least Lances attention.

 

Reaching a hand out to gesture at Hunk, Lance nods. “Yeah, yup, what if it is vampires Pidge? I wanted to tell you guys about these dreams I’ve been having.”

  
“About vampires?” Pidge asks, the smirk on their face leaking into the two words.

 

“Yes. No. I don’t know. But I’m there. When Iris was attacked, in the alleyway. I’m there.” Lance says, his voice being brought down a few notches. “I mean, I watch it happen, or parts of it happen. It’s all blurry.”

 

“I mean, you were there the night she was attacked. You both were closing that night.” Pidge says, the smirk on their face gone now that the conversation had taken a serious turn. “Maybe you’re remembering in your unconscious state?”

 

Lance nods, but then shrugs his shoulders. “I mean maybe, but my dreams… it’s like a vampire attack. Blood covering its face and fangs coming from their mouth, and she’s just on the ground, bleeding out from her neck.”

 

The three of them sit there for a moment in silence, three pairs of eyes watching the water beneath them before Lance lets out a breath and lays flat against the dock. “What do we do?” He groans out, an arm flopping over eyes to shield them from the sun.

 

“Should we investigate more?” Pidge asks, Hunk and Lance looking to the small figure as they stand above them. “It seems we’ve got quite the situation on our hands.”

 

“What, you believe it’s vampires now?” Lance says, still using his arm to shield eyes from the sun.

 

Pidge hums before crossing their arms. “Not exactly, but it could be a number of things, including a cult fanatic in our sweet little town.”

 

“Or maybe it’s a group of them.” Hunk adds in, making Lance gasp, the two beginning to overreact. Pidge immediately rolls their eyes, having to wave their hands to pull back to two's attention.

 

“Woah, okay, let’s take it down a notch okay.” Pidge says, trying to calm the two boys fanatically raving. “Let’s start at one cultist and then move from there, okay?”

 

The rest of the day was spend at Pidges apartment, a slightly bigger one bedroom, the three of them in the living room, all on their respective computers doing ‘research’. Pidge was some kind if computer wiz and could hack into anything, including police records and hospital files from places in Altea. Besides that, Hunk and Lance looked at news reports and viral videos that may be linked to the attack, the three of them sharing their findings before continuing back to independent studies.

 

It didn’t seem like long before the sun was setting and Pidge began to kick them out of the apartment. “We’ll regroup tomorrow.” Lance said to the other two as they departed Pidges apartment complex, Hunk and Lance separating at the bottom of the stairs.

 

The moment Lance was alone though, every alarm in his mind was going off. Despite the light the lamps above him offered, he still felt like darkness was looming just a little too close. He could swear a figure moved just out of the corner of of his vision, but his mind told him to brush it off, that it was a trick of the light.

 

Yet his feet came to a halt as he passed the back of the cafe, the alleyway where Iris was killed to his left. Something deep in his chest pulled him towards the alley, his feet side stepping away from the dimly lit sidewalk and into the dark alley. He instantly felt cold, the hairs at the back of his neck standing as he stop in the center of the alley. _This is where she died_.

 

Fingers twitched as Lance stepped away from the center of the alley, moving closer to the brick wall on his right. He let his fingertips run along the cold red brick, the crisp air biting at Lances skin, despite the warmth from the sun only hours ago. A sound behind made him whip around, looking to the end of the alley where the lake and storefront was, but there was nothing. It made him feel empty almost. What would he want to be there anyway?

 

“You shouldn’t be out this late.” A deep voice says behind him, making Lance whip around, back slamming into the brick wall now behind him. At the back entrance of the alley stood a figure, black jeans and hoodie with the hood pulled up, but eyes the color of crimson stared at him from behind the black fabric. “It’s dangerous.”


	3. Chapter 3

Lance stood petrified, back against the wall and body still like a deer in headlights. The figure stood in front of him, all black clothing making it hard to see him within the darkness of the alley. Still, Lance could swore he saw a glint of red underneath that black hood. Fingertips grabbed at the brick behind him, as if they could steady him anymore.

 

“Who are you?” Lance asks in a panic, waiting for the figure to approach, or even move. Yet the figure stays completely still. 

 

“That doesn’t matter. You should go home. The night isn’t friendly to those who can’t see within it.” The figure spoke, the voice deep but not rough, like the calm before a storm. 

 

Frozen still, Lance was quiet as the figure began their approach. 

 

“Did you not hear me? You should go home blue-eyes.” The figure spoke again, this time closer to Lance. They seemed to be about the same height as Lance, if not slightly taller, black hair peeking out from underneath the hoodie by their cheeks. “It’s dangerous.”

 

Another few steps and Lance could see just underneath the hoodie, tilting his head slightly to see better, and then-

 

_ “Iris?” Lance had stepped outside the coffee shop after hearing a sound coming from the alley. “Iris, you still back here? I thought you-.” The honey-skinned boy stepping onto the small platform with stairs leading down to the alley before stopping at the sight. _

 

_ Just as he walked out, Iris fell to the ground with a loud thud, her limp form lying in front of a figure, face starkling pale and covered with red. Lance could only stand there shocked as he watched the person wipe at their mouth with a hand, red spearing more across their face. “A second snack?” The person coos at him. “How delightful.” _

 

_ Lance has a second to turn, to try to go back inside, but the person had run up to him with inhuman speed and tackled him, both of them tumbling down to the ground, Lance feeling the skin of his arm being shredded against the harsh pavement. “Fuck!” He yells, scrambling to get up. _

 

_ A hand grabs at his throat, pinning him against the ground, his shoulder blades diggin harshly into the ground. “You smell so~ good.” Now Lance could see the person better, red eyes beaming down at him with a kind of glint that made his blood run cold. “I can smell the adrenaline rushing through you.” The person brought their face closer, Lance now able to see that this person is indeed a man, brunette hair a mess atop his head, almost like a bun that had become very loose.  _

 

_ Just as quickly as the weight of the man was on top of him, it was gone, Lance taking the moment to breath deep, collect his thoughts, and then roll onto his stomach so he could stand up. When he began rolling though, Iris came back into view, the girl lying on the floor, lifeless eyes seeming to look right past Lance. It made his chest hurt, but sounds coming from the other direction pulled his eyes. _

 

_ The original person who attacked Lance stood at the far end of the alley, taking on a sort of attack stance, body low to the ground and arms hanging at his side. That wasn’t what grabbed Lance’s attention, it was the new figure standing just between Lance and the bloodied man. This figure stood tall, hands in pockets and stance casual, as if they weren’t about to fight this drugged lunatic.  _

 

_ “You should leave before I kill you.” The new figure spoke, a deep yet smooth voice spoke, calm evident in the few words.  _

 

_ “And let you enjoy that snack all to yourself? No way.” The original figure spoke, and launched themselves at the calm one. It all happened in a blur that Lance could barely keep track the movements exchanged between the two, only the after shock. It was silent except when a harsh breath was released, skin was shredded, or a grunt would break it. It felt like Lance’s vision was a blur, and then it stopped.  _

 

_ Lance watched as the newer figure stood with the other man in front of him, one hand on his throat, holding him just inches off the ground. Blue eyes widened as he heard the sickening sound of flesh and bones crushing, the man seeming to gurgle on his own blood before his neck was completely torn, head and body falling to the ground in two seperate pieces.  _

 

_ Lance shrieked at the sight, scrambling to stand, but before he could even get his footing, he felt hands on him, pulling him off the ground. He screamed, pleading for his life just as he was placed on his feet hands grabbing at his shoulders. One hand came over his mouth, his screams muffled. _

 

_ “Shut up, would you?” The voice snapped at him, causing blue eyes to lock onto amber red eyes. Instantly he felt himself calming, an unnatural calm. “There you go blue-eyes. Now… forget.” _

 

A few blinks and Lance was back to the present, standing in the alley with the red eyed man. He wasn’t sure if he’s more terrified or about as equally terrified as before. Still, he stared at the boy as he stood in front of him. “Hello?” The boy spoke again, his head tilting as well. 

 

“You were there.” Lance croaks out, his voice somewhat trapped in his throat. “Y-You were there, y-you killed-.” He had begun, but the other boy took another step closer, amber eyes widening. 

 

The boy places a hand on Lances chest, his entire body screeching at the sudden pressure. “You remember? How?” Amber eyes expressed an emotion that Lance wasn’t able to pick up on, yet his chest still felt raw as it was directed at him. 

 

Lance was still shocked from the sudden flush of memories that he completely ignored the words that were tossed at him, instead eyes darted across every feature of the boys face, as if trying to take this all in. “You were there.”

 

“You’ve said that.” The boy snaps, fingers digging into Lance’s shirt. He could swear the boys fingernails were way to sharp, the pressure a little intense against his skin. “What are you?”

 

“What are  _ you _ ?” Lance responds, his voice barely a breath between the two. The words though seemed to stun the other boy, mouth slightly parted, allowing Lance to see sharp canines resting behind lips. His skin crawls as he was unable to move eyes away from the boys mouth. “ _ What are you _ ?”

 

The hand at Lance’s chest loosened and the boy backed away. It seemed like his words hit a nerve with the other boy. He was about to continue when another figure appeared down the alley.

 

“Keith.” A voice snapped, both of the boys looking to a new figure. “What are you doing?” The figure began walking closer, the dim light from the moon just barely lighting up the new figures face. It was a man with short white hair and a scar horizontally across the nose, the front of his hair pushed up. He wore black clothes as well, jeans and a t-shirt that was tight fitting. 

 

“Oh my god, is he another one?” Lance whimpers out, back still pressed against the brick wall. “What the fuck is happening?”

 

“Keith, what did-?” The white haired man begins to ask, his voice calm and steady, but Keith cuts him off.

 

“Nothing! He had come back and I was telling him to go home, Shiro.” Keith had suddenly become small, arms crossing over his chest as he still stood in front of Lance, keeping him against the wall. “But there’s a new problem.”

 

“We can’t discuss this here.” Shiro spoke, now standing a few feet from the pair of boys. “We’ll head to the apartment.”

 

“Woah, woah, what the fuck is happening?” Lance shouts, snapping back to what was happening in the present. “Who are you?”

 

Lance went still as Shiro looked dead at him, deep crimson eyes seeming to bore into his soul. He almost felt naked, face becoming flush and red as he couldn’t look away, he couldn’t even move a muscle. All of his worries, all of his concerns seemed to vanish as he stared into crimson eyes. 

 

“Not now.” Shiro spoke with a voice that leaked power. Lance was completely powerless, following the two into the night like a dog attached to a lease. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the support so far, I'm really excited to keep writing chapters for you all!
> 
> Hope you enjoy! Sorry for any grammar/spelling errors!

Lance had no idea what the hell he had gotten himself into. Cult fanatics? Maybe? Crazy? Definitely. But he was following directly behind them, the two lunatics talking quietly in front of him. The blue eyed boy couldn’t make out anything, but by the way they keep looking back at him, Lance could only assume they were definitely talking about him. 

 

It seemed like forever until the trio reached a dark street, the street lights in this area seeming to have long died out. Lance skin crawled as they approached a building, concrete and very square like, only rotting fencing surrounding the building. Multiple doors alighted the building, all with steps and a small patio, each door a different color. They walked through an opening in the fence that seemed like it should be a gate, and towards a faded red door, Shiro grabbing a key from his pocket and opening it up.

 

Thoughts quickly ran through Lance’s mind, like that he’s definitely going to get murdered, but it didn’t rise to anything as he walked past the threshold, the red door closing behind him. It felt like a vacuum when the door shut, the insects and distance sounds of water instantly shut out and replaced with silence. A ticking somewhere in the house broke the silence, like a clock. He wanted to look around, but he couldn’t move anything. 

 

“Sit.” Shiro looks at Lance with those crimson eyes, and the boy immediately moves to sit on the couch resting against the wall. He was pleasantly surprised when the couch didn’t give off a dust cloud with his sudden sit, and that the cushion seemed plush, not at all old and rotten like he thought it would be. Honestly, the room he was in wasn’t that bad, with a coffee table and tv sitting atop a stand, bookcase to its left and a plant to the right. This place might even be nicer than his. 

 

“What do we do?” Keith hisses out, standing behind the tv in what Lance assumed would be the casual dining room, stairs to the second floor and the kitchen to the left. “He saw me-!” The amber eyed man cut himself off, throwing a glance at Lance. “I… I don’t want anyone seeing-.”

 

“Keith, I know.” Shiro says softly, placing a hand tenderly on the other boys shoulder. The smaller of the two went quiet at that. “We’ll figure this out.” It was amazing how the white haired man was able to calm the other. 

 

Keith ran fingers through his bangs and hair surrounding his face, the rest of his black main pulled into a tight ponytail near the base of his neck. The amber eyed boy seemed frazzled, his hair and eyes showing the obvious stress. “I killed someone in front of him.  _ Brutally _ .” Keith had spoke under his breath, but Lance heard it. 

 

It seemed to snap him out of whatever trance he was in. “Holy  _ shit! _ ” Lance gasped, pushing himself off of the couch and nearly tripped on the coffee table as he rounded it. He had to get the hell out of this place and away from these people.

 

“Oh no you don't.” Keith’s voice spoke against his ear as his body was suddenly enfolded in the black haired boys arms, Lance’s back pressing against Keith’s chest. It was all too quick that Lance was thrown back on the couch. “How did you do that?”

 

“It’s called legs  _ dumbass _ !” Lance snaps back, pushing off of the sofa again, but Shiro was there, a gentle yet firm hand keeping him from standing. 

 

“Lance, calm down.” Shiro spoke, his voice as gentle as his hand despite the situation at hand. “We need you to stay calm.” The man moved to sit in front of him, deep crimson eyes locking with light blue. Lance felt himself slipping into that trance again. 

 

Wait. “How do you know my name?” Lance bit, breaking his eye contact with Shiro and looking to Keith. “Who the fuck are you people?”

 

“ _ Lance _ .” It felt like something pulled at his chest, attention snapping back to Shiro as the breath left his lungs. He could feel everything drain from his as the situation seemed to sink into his mind. There was no was he was getting out of this. He was totally dead. “Please, stay calm.”

 

“What. Is. Going. On?” Lance spoke slow and every word came out with venom. The calm that seemed to fabricate itself inside of him was fading, his anger, confusion, and fear slowly taking place. “Who are you people? And how the fuck did you rip someone's head off?” The last question was thrown at Keith, amber eyes widening before he looked away, seeming to grit his teeth. 

 

“We’re vampires!” Shiro snapped, wide blue eyes cautiously moving back to crimson, breath held within lungs as Lance met the man's eyes. They flickered away for a moment, to look at Keith no doubt, but they were back on blue instantly. “We’re vampires. Your friend, Iris, she was killed by a vampire. Keith had stumbled upon you and saved you before the rouge vampire could kill you as well. We wiped your memories to protect you, but it seems that it was not enough.”

 

The room was silent, all but for the ticking from coming inside the house. Lance was, well stunned. It felt like he was in a dream for a moment, everything was too bright and fuzzy, but then the dry, cold air of the room brought him back, eyes locked onto crimson one. Vampire ones. Vampire eyes. Vampires.

 

“I fucking  _ knew it! _ ” Lance yelled as he jumped from the couch. “Take that Pidge! Oh! Wait until they get a load of this, fucking vampires, are you serious?” His breath was ragged, adrenaline pumping through his veins making him feel feverish. He had no idea how to react to the current situation. 

 

“Wait, you knew-?” Keith begins, starting to move around the tv, but Shiro puts his hand up, the black haired boy stopping in his tracks. 

 

“I am serious. And we have to wipe your memory again-.” Shiro begins, Lance’s stomach dropping at the thought. If Lance were to live through tonight, he couldn’t wait until he told Hunk and Pidge about all of this, because this was complete bonkers. Keith cut Shiro off though, pulling both pairs of eyes towards him.

 

“That didn’t work last time Shiro! Plus, he’s able to break out of lures, do you think a memory wipe will work again?” Keith finally makes his way towards them, standing just above where Lance sits on the couch. “There’s something wrong with him.”

 

“Hey!” Lance yells, looking to the black haired men with heavy offense. “I’m not the one ripping off heads!”

 

“Quiet! Both of you!” Shiro snaps, his voice seeming to echo through the room, shutting both of the boys up instantly. The man took a breath in, closing his eyes before reopening them, seeming calmer then the moment before. “We’ll try the mind wipe again and see.” 

 

“I don’t like that idea, I think-.” Lance begins, shaking his head and putting his arms up, but it doesn’t seem to matter as Shiro and Keith switch places, the amber eyed boy now kneeling in front of him. 

 

“Stop.” He says softly, blue meeting amber. Lance’s mouth stops moving, voice fading as Keith looks at him intensely. “Forget.” 

 

The room began to shake, Lance’s breathing becoming ragged as his vision twisted and shook. Everything went black for a moment, his body going completely numb, but then he was back, sitting in the living room with the two vampires, chest heavy as he gasped for breath. “What the hell man?”

 

Keith and Shiro stood in front of him, eyes wide with disbelief as Lance looked at them. Both of their mouth were open, fangs poking out of both their mouths, the blue eyed boy shivering at the sight. “How did you do that?” Shiro spoke softly, not moving from his spot now at the other side of the tv. When did they get over there? 

 

“I should be the one asking questions here!” Lance began to stand, pushing himself off of the couch. “What did you-?” Legs were weaker than expected and gave out with Lance’s weight atop them. He was ready to hit the ground, maybe bump into the coffee table along the way, but instead an arm looped under his stomach, catching him before he face planted the floor. 

 

“Be careful.” Keith’s voice said softly, a gentle hand slowly placing pressure against Lance’s back, like his touch would burn the blue eyes boy. “You shouldn’t even be awake.” The amber eyed boy helped Lance back to the couch before removing his arms and hands, taking a step back to be closer to Shiro. 

 

“You resisted the wipe, this time much,  _ much  _ earlier.” Shiro spoke, walking past Keith and closer to Lance. “How are you able to do that?” When the white hair male asked the question, Lance was sure to avoid eye contact as much as he could, now thinking it might have some power over him. 

 

“I don’t want you to take my memories, that's how.” Lance retorts, looking towards the kitchen and noticed how empty it looked. He wondered what the inside of the fridge looked like. 

 

“That’s stupid.” Keith scoffs, rolling eyes and crossing his arms. 

 

“What, you just, think about keeping your memories and they stay?” Shiro asks, looking bewildered. “That… That doesn’t make a lot of sense.” The white haired man lets out a breath, fingers softening the crease in his brow. “Is there anything else Lance?”

 

“No, can I go home?” Lance bites, arms crossing as he slumps against the couch. 

 

Both Keith and Shiro snap at the same time. “No!” Shiro seemed more calm while Keith was close to exploding it seemed like. “Shiro, what are we going to do?”

 

The white haired man leans back, arms crossing his chest as his back hits a wall. “I don’t know.”

 

“Should we kill him?” Keith asks in a lowered voice, but Lance is able to hear it, heart picking up in his chest. He knew they were going to kill him eventually. It was only a matter of time. 

 

“No, we can’t kill him Keith.” Shiro hushed Keith, waving a hand towards him before pushing off of the wall and walking back towards where Lance sat. “Can we trust you?”

 

“Shiro!” Keith hissed, taking a step closer to them. One look back and Keith froze on the spot. 

 

“Define trust.” Lance places a hand on his chin, as if he was cutting some kind of deal. Although technically he was trying to cut a deal for his life. 

 

“You cannot tell anyone about us, about what you’ve seen, or anything you’ve heard. We don’t exist to you.” Shiro speaks calmly, as if making sure that Lance were to hear every word he spoke. This did seem like a very important topic, so it would make sense that Shiro would talk in such a way. “Can you do that?”

 

Lance hums, as if considering what Shiro had said, finger tapping against his chin. “I think I could do that. But at a cost.”

 

“Is your life not enough?” Keith snaps.

 

“What do you want?” Shiro asks, holding his hand up once again to stop Keith. 

 

“I want in.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this story so much and I'm happy some of you like it too!! Thank you for reading!!
> 
> No beta so I apologize for grammar/spelling errors.

“You what?”

 

The room was quiet as the three of them sat there exchanging looks, Keith and Shiro looking to each other before looking back at Lance, the boy sitting with arms crossed over his chest. His demand was obscene definitely, but with the situation he was in, he figured he could worm his way into getting information on what crazy shit was happening. 

 

“No. No, absolutely not. We will not turn you.” Shiro stood up from where he knelt in front of Lance, arms waving in a dismissive matter. 

 

“Uh, wait, what?” Lance mutters, looking at the two vampires standing above him. There was a sudden tension in the room that seemed to go over Lance’s head, sitting up in his chair and waving his arms. “Oh, oh! No, I don’t want to be turned. I want to know what being a vampire is like. Are the myths and legends true?”

 

Another silence and exchange of looks before Shiro spoke. “You want to know… what it’s like being a vampire?”

 

“Yeah! I mean, my friends and I did a bunch of research, and we didn’t want to assume vampires, because you know,  _ what a cliche,  _ but here you are in the flesh!” Lance was excited about this when it didn’t really seem like the situation for it, but still, he seemed to be bubbling at the surface. “How do you turn? How much blood do you drink? Can you really smell my blood from where you’re standing.” 

 

Both of the vampires were stunned at the outburst, not expecting Lance to react with such enthusiasm. It did take a minute to get here, but this seemed better than the blue eyed boy being terrified and trying to escape. Still, the two were overwhelmed, not knowing how to respond to the plethora of questions tossed at them. They exchanged another look before Shiro gave his attention back to Lance. 

 

“I think it would be best if we take one thing at a time. Tonight was the big reveal, we can talk more tomorrow.” Shiro spoke softly, seeming to calm Lance with his voice. He wasn’t sure if it was a lure or just the vibe that the white haired man gave off, but the blue eyed boy allowed it, wanting to calm down after all the stress and panic from the day. “You should rest here. The night in dangerous.”

 

“I’ve heard that before.” Lance says quietly, but he huffs out a breath and looks between the two vampires. “I still don’t like it. I don’t want to be here. I want to go home.” His voice was demanding now, eyes narrow as he looked directly at Shiro. He knew this was the one in charge.

 

“Shiro, we can’t do that. We don’t know if he’s trustworthy yet!” Keith protests, gesturing towards Lance as he speaks. 

 

“Keith will walk you back.” Shiro speaks, both Lance and Keith's eyes widening with the sudden statement. Lance and Keith begin to protest at the same time, but the white haired man silences them both with a simple wave of the hand. “You should be safe as long as you’re indoors.” 

 

“Wait, what?” Keith bites, obviously seeming against the idea. Lance on the other hand seemed to bounce at the idea, knees shaking and body teeming with sudden excitement. He could go home, he could escape these two weirdos, but there had to be a catch. “I don’t want to save his ass if another vamp sniffs him out!”

 

There was a silent conversation between the two, Lance watching from the couch. “Keith.” Shiro finally spoke, the black haired boy seeming to stand up straight, hair falling from the ponytail holding it up. “You will take Lance home and get home before sunrise.” 

 

A pause between the two before Keith nodded, Shiro turning his attention back to Lance. The blue eyed boy always felt weird with those crimson obrs looking at him, the unnatural color making him feel uneasy. “You will not attempt to find us or come here. When the time comes, we will come for you. Understand?”

 

With a huff of his breath, Lance rolled his eyes. “Well come on, that’s no fun.” He whines, leaning back against the couch. 

 

“That doesn’t matter Lance.” Shiro replies, not seeming too bothered with how he reacted. “Now is not a good time for you to be hanging around us. There’s a lot happening within our world right now that you cannot be apart of.” Although his voice comes across gentle, it still has the power behind it, and a warning that goes right over Lance’s head.

 

“Because I’m not a vampire?” Lance whines out, not making eye contact with either vampires.

 

“Because you will get killed.” Shiro snaps out, a little less calm then before. “Lance, you have no idea the danger you are in simply being here.” Allowing a glance back, the blue eyes boy could see how serious Shiro was. It send chills through him. “Which is why you are returning home and will not try to contact us, do you understand?”

 

This time, Lance looked up to Keith, the boys arms crossed, eyes looking in the other direction. Even from here, Lance could see the tension all throughout the vampires body. It made Lance’s stomach drop. “Yeah… I guess.”

 

“Then we will see you soon Lance.” Shiro spoke, standing from where he sat in front of Lance and passing Keith, a hand touching the boy's shoulder before disappearing up the stairs. 

 

The two boys stood there for a moment, neither saying a word as Shiro moved above them, the floor creaking where he moved. Another moment and their eyes met, dissatisfaction an expression on both of their faces, one of them releasing a sigh before the other. “I guess we should head out. Once Shiro goes upstairs, his decision is final.” Keith says in a low voice, brushing thick black hair away from his face. The vampire didn’t meet Lance’s eyes as he passed him, heading towards the front door. “Come on.”

 

Lance huffs, upset that he wasn’t going to be able to grill the vampires tonight. Or the so called vampires, the blue eyed boy still wasn’t completely convinced. Still, he turned on his heel and followed Keith, the cool air from outside feeling refreshing compared to the stuffy room he was just in. The distant sound of the lake instantly reassured him, the tension he felt from inside the room gone. It was quiet as they walked, the lake to their left, Keith just a few steps ahead of Lance.

 

“How do you know where I live?” Lance asked, breaking the silence between the two about half way home. He only just realized that Keith had been leading this whole time, when he should be the one leading, since it was his home they were going towards. 

 

“We had to ensure the memory wipe stuck the first time, so Shiro and I followed you around for a couple nights.” The amber eyed vampire replies, not seeming to mind the sudden question. 

 

Lance stopped, feeling a flush of red come to his face. “You guys followed me? Dude, thats creepy.” An array of questions had come to mind, like for how long? What did they see? Did they at least give him privacy? 

 

Keith stops a bit ahead of Lance before turning to look at him. “It was for your safety  _ idiot _ .” The vampire snaps, eyes slightly narrowed. “You’re lucky I even got there when I did.”

 

“Hmm, I don’t remember asking you do save me?” Lance spits back, automatically defending himself the moment he felt like he was being attacked. Like a child, the boy crossed his arms defiantly, huffing out a breath. “And I don’t need an escort home.” 

 

“I don’t want to be escorting you home.” Keith was suddenly directly in front of Lance, amber eyes narrow and fangs seeming to glint in the moonlight as his mouth was slightly parted. It made his stomach jump, feeling panic wash over him. “But  _ you  _ just had to get involved and now we’re stuck with you.” 

 

The panic in Lance’s chest shifted to annoyed. “Well  _ excuse me _ , it’s not my fault your stupid ‘vampire’ tricks don’t work on me!” Lance spat, using his fingers to quite the word vampire, as if making fun of the boy. “You and your friend are honestly a couple of lunatics that should honestly be fucking arrested!” At this point his face had gone red from shouting, waving his hands around despite the close proximity of the vampire. 

 

Keith had breath in to say something after a moment, but stopped, face shifting from anger to compete focus as he scanned the area. “We should move.” 

 

There was no arguing, Lance feeling the uneasiness bubble in his chest before spreading all over him. It felt like someone was watching them. Blue eyes snapped down when a cold hand grasped at his wrist, but any protests faded as he was pulled along, Keith leading them down an alleyway to their right, Lance barely able to keep up as they exited the alley and back onto a main street. A sharp right and they were back in the covers of an alley, buildings sprouting high above them, dumpsters and doors lining the concrete walkway with windows scatters the buildings above. 

 

Keith stopped suddenly, the blue eyed boy bumping into him with a huff. Lance allowed himself to look around the alley, nothing strange or out of place caught his eye, just a fire escape scaling the building to their left and more doors to their right. A sudden movement from the corner of his eye and he was grabbed, black hair suddenly smothering his face, body being thrown to the side. He didn’t feel it but he could hear wood breaking, pieces clattering against tile. Hitting the ground, Lance knew that the vampire had protected him from the sudden fall, a sturdy body softening the blow of harsh tile. But then they rolled, Keith above Lance for a second, their eyes meeting.

 

“Don’t move.”  


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not the best at fighting scenes, so forgive my attempt. Thank you again for reading and leaving Kudos/Comments! They always make my day and encourage me to write more! 
> 
> I apologize for spelling/grammar errors!

Lance laid on his stomach, arms just barely pushing him up as fear crept into every inch of his being. Keith stood above him, in between the blue eyed boy and a figure who stood within the broken wooden door. Whatever or whoever that was had to be bad by the way the vampire reacted, throwing them inside of some kitchen of a random shop, breaking the door without even a second thought. And now Keith stood there, anger seeming to seethe from him. 

 

“What a good smelling snack you have there.” The figure spoke, a silky smooth voice seeming to echo off the dark walls. “Seems I might have to take it for myself.” 

 

“ _ Fuck off _ .” Keith snapped, charging at the figure. Lance lost sight of them, but the sound of pots clanging to his right pulled his attention, two bodies being thrown on top of one of the large industrial stoves, the pots above falling to the ground and all around them. In a blink they were gone though, a loud  _ thunk _ pulling blue eyes behind him, watching as Keith slammed the figure against in if the fridges, the metal denting underneath them, a grunt of pain sounding. But then they started laughing eyes wide as they looked at Keith. It was then Lance realized it was another vampire.

 

Red eyes and fangs accompanied pale skin, a mop of black hair sitting atop this new vampires head. Their eyes met, the boys stomach dropping. It was short lived though as the vampire shoved Keith off of him, charging at the amber eyed boy and fading again. It was a moment before he saw them again, Keith's figure tossed across a set of counters, everything that was sitting atop falling to the found and clattering loudly. Keith barely caught himself as he stumbled to the ground before standing back on his feet.

 

Moonlight sifting through the openings leading to the alley, pale white light showing a plethora of cuts and scratches scattered across Keith's body, blood accompanying almost all of them. Parts of his shirt had been ripped, hair fallen completely from the small ponytail he had it in. It almost looked like the vampire was sporting a mullet. 

 

Blue eyes looked to the figure standing across the way, the same amount of damage seeming to appear on the other vampire. It made Lance feel slightly assured, but he was still terrified with the position he was in, splayed across the floor just barely out of reach from Keith. The other vampire took notice of that too. 

 

In a breath Keith was over Lance, crouching forward with fingers brushing the floor beneath him as he covered the boy. The other vampire was there too, only a few feet from Keith, hand just barely able to touch Lance’s head. But Keith was there, breath heavy and mouth open, exposing his fangs. Blood covered his cheeks and coaxed his hands, but unlike the other vampire, there was no blood on his mouth. Amber eyes watched the other vampire through narrow slits. 

 

“Quite defensive of him, aren’t you? If his smell is any indication of his taste, I understand why.” The other vampire spoke, licking his lips and fangs as he finished the sentence. It made Lance feel sick, sinking further underneath Keith’s protection. 

 

In response, Keith hissed at the other vampire, the sound making Lance shiver. Then the body above him was gone, as was the one standing in front of him. Sounds to his left pulled his attention towards the door they entered, bodies flying against the wall before disappearing into what seemed like wind. They moved so quickly that it almost gave Lance a headache, the boy only able to watch when their battle would halt for a breath, but it would pick up again too quickly. 

 

Lance almost screamed when Keith’s body landed near him, a ruffle of black hair was all he could see of his head, but  _ red _ was all he could see of his torso. His shirt had been shredded completely by his waist, a wound looking rather vicious carving his side. The vampire pressed a hand to it, the blue eyed boy noticing fingerless gloves accompanying his hands. Lance could do nothing but lay there as the other vampire approached them. 

 

“You don’t deserve blood like his.” The vampire spoke, slowly walking towards them from the other side of the kitchen. “It’s too rich, too… potent. You’re  _ weak _ .”

 

“You know nothing about me.” Keith snaps back, pushing himself off the ground and charging at the vampire. It seems though his efforts were useless as he was tossed to the side, the other vampire following. 

 

More swoosie fighting occurred as Lance tried to will himself to move, to do  _ something _ , but fear seemed to hold him in place. Plus, Keith did tell him to not move when they first got here, but he still felt like he should be doing something to help, as Keith was getting his assed kicked. The only thing was, what could a human do to help a vampire in a  _ vampire fight _ ? Were any of the legends even true? Could Lance find a handful of garlic and hope to fend off the bad vampire? Maybe find some stainless steel knives or sharp wooden blocks to stab him? Lance was completely out of his comfort zone here. 

 

Still, he sprung into action, moving towards a knife block he say in the far corner of the kitchen. Keeping himself low, he crawled across the floor, ducking down when he felt the surge of movement move atop him, the two vampire fight moving all over the kitchen. As he crawled, his hand suddenly came in contact with something cold and sticky, an uneasy feeling passing through Lance as he decided to keep moving. 

 

When he finally reached the counter with the knife block, Lance peaked around to see the two struggling against the back wall, Keith pinned against it. Their eyes met, blue locking onto red as Lance pulled the knife block to his lap. A flicker of amber eyes and Keith instantly shook his head, not knowing what the boy was planning.

 

Lance wasn’t sure either, but he went with the first thing that came to mind and throw a knife towards them. The blade stuck into the vampires shoulder, the creature giving a shout before turning his attention to Lance. Plan successful?

 

“How cute.” The vampire hissed, letting go of Keith and striding towards Lance. The amber eyed vampire slid to the ground, a loud grunt accompanied with a soft thud from his body hitting the floor. “What, you want to protect the monster who's about to take your life?”

 

“You’re the only monster here buddy.” Lance snapped, trying to keep his eyes trained on the vampire approaching him despite Keith beginning to stand up. Should he try to keep the vampire distracted. “Where the hell did you even come from?” 

 

“Oh, someplace very scary and dark. That’s why we’ve come here, it’s so small and quaint… secluded.” Deep red eyed watched Lance as the vampire spoke, the blue eyed boy slowly realizing what the creature was talking about. 

 

“We?”

 

Before the creature had replied, Keith had snuck up behind him, not missing a chance to break the vampires neck, snapping bones loud in the small kitchen space. “Don’t look.” Keith spoke, voice rough from the fight. Lance obeyed without even thinking, turning his head away and closing his eyes. Still, the sound of flesh ripping and muscles tearing made a visual clear against Lance’s black vision. It made him want to vomit, stomach churning and body shaking. Two separate thuds made Lance open his eyes, but his vision was focused on the leg of the counter in front of him. “Lance.”

 

The blue eyed boy looked up, breath ragged as he looked into amber orbs. Somehow, they made him feel safe, calm even despite what just happened. 

 

“Come on, you need to…” Keiths words slurred, the boy losing balance for a second, hands catching him with the counter to his side. Amber eyes blinked rapidly, as if trying to compose himself, fingers gripping at the edges of the counter. “We need to get you home.”

 

Lance was quiet for a moment, and then, “You saved my life.”

 

“Not the first time.” The boy breathed out, leaning more heavily against the counter. It was clear the vampire was in pain, and the blood loss from all the wounds seemed to be taking a toll on him. Still, the vampire stood, not allowing his swaying body to fall to the floor. “Come on Lance.”

 

After a moment Lance pushed himself off the ground, allowing a small glance towards the dead vampire on the ground. To his surprise, a body didn’t lie there, but smoldering ashes that seemed to form a person's silhouette. “What’s that about?”

 

“I don’t have the answers for everything Lance.” Keith breathed out, the bite to his tone gone, energy clearly drained from him. Lance didn’t even ask, but he slid himself under Keith’s arm helping the boy stand up a little easier. “What are you-?”

 

“Shut up. I’m just trying to help.” Lance bit, but there wasn’t much venom in his words at all. It was obvious that blue eyed boy was also exhausted, so Keith didn’t offer much of a fight as the hobbled out of the building and back into the alley. “I really hope there’s no cameras in there, because we’d be totally screwed if there was.” 

 

“How far are we?” Keith asked, ignoring Lance’s concern completely. The boy wanted to be offended, but it seemed like the vampire was starting to become a little too woozy, feet beginning to drag a little. 

 

“We’re close, don’t fall asleep on me now, okay? I’m not that strong buddy.” Lance commented, looking down the street before they crossed it, hoping they weren’t going to leave a blood trail to his apartment. His landlady would kill him if a vampire didn’t get to him first. “You can rest when we get to my place.”

 

A huff of laughter left Keith, surprising Lance. “What, like a sleepover?” The response was teasing and lighthearted, making the boys chest feel lighter. 

 

A grin pulled across Lance’s lips. “Yeah man. We could totally watch movies and eat popcorn.” He laughs, but stops when he realizes the movement saw shaking Keith. He apologized under his breath, but couldn’t help the ease he felt when Keith seemed to also be as ease. Even if it was just the slightest bit.

 

“Popcorn makes me sick.” Keith replied in a quiet breath, Lance having to help the vampire step up the small curb. 

 

“Awh, well we can find something for you then, how does that sound?” Lance could see the door to his apartment building in the distance, the slow movement of the two making it seem farther away then it really was. When the vampire didn’t respond to his question, Lance was a little concerned. “Keith?”

 

“M’ fine.” The black haired vampire slurred, his weight seemed to heavy against Lance. “Almost there?”

 

“Yeah man, we’re basically here.” Lance managed to pull his keys from his back pocket and unlocked the door, ushering both him and Keith inside, the door closing and locking behind them. “Just a little ride up to the fourth floor.” 

 

The boy managed to get the vampire in and out of the elevator with ease before shuffling their way to his apartment, the small studio dark expect for the light flooding in from the hall. Closing the door behind them, Lance maneuvered Keith to the couch and sat him on it, the vampire easily sinking in. He then moved around the apartment, closing all the windows and locking them before shutting the curtains. Finally he sat next to Keith on the couch, the apartment quiet besides the harsh breathing coming from the vampire.

 

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Lance asks, turning himself towards the vampire.

 

Amber eyes slid open, orbs seeming to glow despite the darkness of the room. Lance felt breathless when those eyes locked onto him. “No, nothing from you.”

 

“Wow, that’s real nice man.” Lance snaps, feeling offended from Keith’s response.

 

“I need blood.” Keith speaks, Lance falling silent. Both of them sat there, Keith avoiding eye contact as Lance’s eyes snapped to him. “But not yours.”

 

“Why not?” Somehow, this also offended Lance.

 

That just made Keith meet Lance’s eyes easily, blue and red locked as emotion seemed to stir within Keith. “I don’t drink from people.” He responds, narrow eyes watching blue ones before flickering across his face. “I won’t.”

 

“But you’ll… what, heal faster?” Lance asks, pulling from his extensive vampire knowledge. 

 

Keith nodded, pulling amber eyes away and looking to the tv in front of them. “Something along those lines, but rest works just as well. I’ll be out before morning.”

 

“I~ really don’t believe you.” Lance almost sing the first word, pulling Keith's eyes back to him, the vampire quickly rolling amber eyes. “You look like shit and you’re getting worse. It would help, wouldn’t it?” 

 

“Lance, no.” Keith snapped at him, amber eyes looking demanding and face cold. “I will not drink your blood. I’ve been in fights before, worse than this, and healed without blood. Just… let me rest.” 

 

With a huff of breath, Lance nodded. “Okay… but the offer still stands.” He places a hand on the vampires shoulder, as if trying to comfort him, before standing from the couch and moving to his bed. Removing his shoes and sliding in the bed, Lance couldn’t help but look at the creature sitting on his couch, moonlight dimmed from the curtains painting him in a pale white.

 

When Lance awoke the next morning, Keith was gone. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all the support! It makes me happy to pump out these chapters and have you guys read them! I have up until 10 written right now and plan to keep going! 
> 
> I apologize for any grammar/spelling errors, no betas to be seen!

It had been a week since Lance had last seen either of the vampires, both friendly and not. He had went back to working at the coffee shop as usual, not telling his friends about his meeting. Lance even went as far as to switch back to the closing shift, hoping he would have a run in with Keith or Shiro, but he had no such luck. Luckily he wasn’t stupid enough to go hunting as they had warned, knowing already how dangerous the night had become. 

 

The sun had began to set, fading rays painting the sky shades of orange and purple, Lance standing outside the cafe watching clouds move across the sky and change colors. A bell chome behind him pulled his attention away from the clouds and to the blonde walking out of the door. A smile pulled at his lips. “How’s your latte today?”

 

“It’s a cappuccino.” She giggles out, covering her mouth with a hand, yellow sweater pulled up to her fingertips. “But it’s very good, thank you. Hunk is very good at his job.” If Lance wasn’t so distracted by how pretty the girl was, he would have caught onto the shade that was just thrown at him.

 

“Well you’re always welcome back. You make the shop a whole lot brighter.” Lance flashes a smile and winks, receiving another giggle followed by eye rolling. He considered it a win and continued with picking up dishes as Nyma walked away. 

 

When he stepped back inside the shop, Hunk and Pidge stood behind the counter, seeming to gossip about something that Lance definitely needed to be involved in. He was quick to put the dishes in the sink before rushing to his two friends. “What’s up?” He asks, standing between the two.

 

“There was another attack last night. That makes it five people either killed or attacked in two weeks. I’m definitely thinking cultists.” Pidge says under their breath, looking around the shop to make sure others weren’t listening in. 

 

“What about the damage to that one restaurants kitchen? The ovens and fridge were  _ dented _ man!” Hunk exclaims, Pidge hitting him in order to hush him. They didn’t want to draw attention to them. “I’m sorry, but this doesn’t seem like cultists anymore. This is way out of out ballpark guys.” 

 

Pidge and Lance share a look, as if to consider what Hunk said and brush it off, but Pidge is _too damn smart_. “You know something.”

 

“I just agree with Hunk!” Lance whisper yells, shrugging his shoulders in exaggeration. “This may be out of our ballpark.” 

 

“You know something.” Hunk chimed in this time, making Lances eyes widen. He didn’t even get to defend himself as Allura walks out of the kitchen, Hunk and Pidge moving away from the huddle and returning to casual work. Lance on the other hand felt panic creeping in. 

 

“Lance!” Allura called, her voice gentle as he rounded the counter and stood beside the blue eyed boy. “Are you sure you’ll be okay tonight? There’s been so many attacks recently.”

 

His chest felt warm with her appearance, the womans hair pulled into a bun atop her head, the lower half of her hair down. He couldn’t help but smile seeing the concern across the white haired womans face. “Oh please, I’ll be a-okay. Plus it’s a short walk home for me compared to everyone else. No need to worry about me.”

 

Allura smiled softly before looking over to Pidge and Hunk. “Also, no more pow wows during work time, please?” She patted Lance’s shoulder before walking away, his face red hot from embarrassment. It was like being called out by your teacher in front of class. 

 

The rest of his shift went smoothly, Pidge and Hunk leaving halfway through his shift and  Allura leaving about an hour before him. He had just finished cleaning the shop when there was a tapping on the front door. Panic swept over him for a moment as he turned to look at the door, ready to yell that they were closed. Only, the two figures standing in the doorway were very familiar.

 

Lance almost sprinted over to the front doors to unlock them before pulling the glass open. “Hey! What are you guys doing here?” He asks, overly excited to see Shiro and Keith. 

 

“You need to finish what you’re doing and get home  _ now _ .” Shiro speaks, his voice intense, making Lance shiver. His mood shifted to match the two standing in front of him, only he was more scared than anything. It had been a week since he’d seen them and this was their first interaction since then. 

 

“What’s going on?” Lance’s voice was quiet as he asked, not sure if he wanted to know.

 

Shiro and Keith exchanged a look, as if unsure if they should tell the boy what was going on. “Not now.” Shiro finally said, looking back at Lance. “We’ll explain, but you need to get home. Tonight is more dangerous than most.” 

 

He didn’t need much more, moving to finishing anything Allura would get mad at him for if he didn’t do and regrouped with the two vampires outside. “I get my own special protection to walk me home.” He laughs, trying to make light of the situation despite the fact he was scared shitless. 

 

Keith rolled his eyes while Shiro tried to stifle a smile. “You may have to deal with us all night.” The white haired vampire says as they begin to walk down the street after Lance locks the shop. 

 

“Really? That’s kind of exciting. I get to drill you with questions, huh?” The blue eyed boy basically bounces, the vampires sharing a look Lance doesn’t catch.

 

“We’ll see about that.” Shiro says with a smile, moonlight glinting off of sharp fangs. It still made Lance tense, not completely comfortable with the whole vampire thing. Shiro seemed to take notice of the boys discomfort and quickly shed the smile, covering fangs back up. “For now, let’s get you home.”

 

“It’s going to be a little tight.” Lance almost thinks out loud, the two vampires following behind him as he leads the way. “I’ve had at most two people over, so I mean you two should be fine. Although I doubt you’re going to sleep. You sleeping during the day, don’t you?” As Lance spoke, he looked behind his back between the vampires, as if he was asking them both all the questions. 

 

“Like I said Lance, let’s get home first.” Shiro's voice is calm but even the blue eyed boy could tell he was starting to get a little tense. Lance figured it would be best if he left the conversation where it was.

 

A short walk in silence and elevator ride up four floors led the three to Lance’s apartment, the boy opening the door for the two vampires and shutting it behind them. It was a little awkward at first, two vampires unsure of where to sit, Lance guiding them towards the couch, and then sitting on a stood he pulled up front the kitchen. He sat and looked at them. “I have so many questions.”

 

“We can’t answer-.” Shiro began, but Lance cut him off.

 

“Do you really drink blood?” For some reason, that was the question Lance wanted to first ask. It seemed to stun them both, the two looking at one another before Shiro looked back.

 

“Yes. But we don’t need it very often. Maybe about a pint a week.” Shiro answers, the boy honestly surprised the vampire had answered so easily.

 

“Where do you get your blood?” It was as if Lance wanted to question their morals before anything else. He knew that Shiro could tell that too, the man looking to Lance with narrow eyes before releasing a breath.

 

“We steal it from hospitals and blood banks.” The white haired man answers, eyes unflinching as he says it. “Not all vampires are as ethical though.”

 

“Cause and point all the attacks that's been happening.” Lance pieced together, fingers rubbing his chin. “Why are you here? Not just you two, but vampires. In Altea.”

 

“No.” Keith said, finally looking away from whatever spot he was looking at and directly at Lance. “That’s too much information.”

 

“He’s right.” Shiro says, still using a hand to gesture Keith to stop. “There are questions we can’t answer, for both your protection and our own.”

 

Lance looks at the vampires, unsure of what to feel. He wants to be upset and get all the information he can from them, but at the same time, he has no right to any of the information from their world, he was simply an outsider looking in. “Okay.” He finally says, a little upset. “How old are you both?”

 

Another exchange of looks between the two before they both were back on Lance. “I’m just over three hundred.” Shiro says a little shyly, as if being ashamed for admitting. Blue eyes moved to amber, as if waiting for Keiths response before he reacted. 

 

“I’m closer to two hundred.” Keith was looking at his feet when he spoke, just as uncomfortable as Shiro was.

 

“Dude, that’s so cool!” Lance almost yelled, but covered his mouth. He didn’t want to disturb his neighbors. “What’s the oldest vampire you know?” He asks, leaning forward on his stool, elbows resting on knees and face in hands.

 

“Zarkon.” Keith says, his voice barely above a whisper.

 

“Who?” Lance asks as the same time Shiro quickly turns his head to the amber eyed vampire. 

 

“Our sire.” Shiro continues, Keith obviously looking disturbed. “He’s the one that turned us, made us into this.” The white haired man almost sounded hopeless when he spoke, like the man they spoke of drained any life and happiness away from them at some point. “I hear he’s over two thousand.”

 

“Holy shit man!” Lance yells, excitement leaking from him. “He’s been alive for… for a lot!” The blue eyed boy was too stunned to even formulate thoughts, hands coming up to his head as he shook it. “That’s wild! Can vampires even like die of old age?”

 

“Not that we know of. Vampires mostly have to be killed-.” Shiro began to answer, but was cut off.

 

“What a lovely little learning session. Do we plan on letting him remember everything?” A dark voice spoke, making all three of them silent. Every alarm in Lance’s body was going off, form shaking as footsteps sounded behind him. Both of the vampires on the couch had eyes trained behind him, fear making them wide. “Or are we educating our meal?”

 

“ _ Lord Zarkon _ .”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, but I promise I'll keep them coming!! I'm slowly building up the klance relationship so I'm sorry if it seems a little slow! Thank you for the kudos/comments! Every one makes me smile (: 
> 
> I apologize for spelling/grammar errors! No betas to be seen!

Lance couldn’t move from the stool fast enough, almost tripping over his feet as he stumbled over to the vampires sitting on the couch. They hadn’t moved from their spots, frozen as they looked to where Lance’s bed was. The blue eyed boy turned slowly, terrified of what he could see hanging out in his bedroom.

 

This man was _big_. He was taller than Shiro, and way~ buffer, making Lance feel tiny in comparison. His eyes were the darkest red he’s seen, thin slits watching him as he moved closer and closer to the vampires he knew.

 

“What are you doing?” Zarkon asked, his voice dark and demanded power, making Lance shiver even harder then before.

 

From the corner of his eye he saw Shiro slowly rising from the couch, Keith too stunned to even breathe it seemed. “Sire, please. We haven’t been able to properly erase his memory and are working on-.”

 

“I doubt it.” Zarkon snapped, the white haired man shutting up instantly. “If you can’t erase his memory then kill him.”

 

Everything in Lance screamed, fear like fire as he stood there and felt his skin burning, sweat dripping down his back. He never expected to be in his studio apartment with three vampires, one being very old and made the other two. Can he control them? Could he make them kill him? Lance felt his chest collapsing, panic grabbing at his vision and causing his head to throb.

 

“I’m no harm.” Lance barely managed to speak out, three pairs of red eyes hastily on him, two panicked, on vicious. “I-I won’t be any-.”

 

Lance could swear he got whiplash from how fast Zarkon grabbed him, feet off the ground and neck trapped in an instant. Vision almost went white from the fear and panic, hands hopelessly coming up and grabbing at the ones trapping him. Deep, dark red eyes glared into his blue ones, the breath in his lungs leaving him, the will to fight back disappearing.

 

“ _Lance_!” A mix of Shiro and Keith’s voice rang in his ears, heart swelling as he remembered the two were there still and he wasn’t alone with this maniac. “Sire, please don’t!”

 

Zarkon brought his face closer to Lance’s, inhaling deeply and making the blue eyed boy cringe. Lance wasn’t sure if he should be preparing to die or if by some miracle he would get out of this situation without getting his head ripped off. The latter was preferable, but that was more than likely not the case.

 

“You are not of this world, are you?” Zarkon spoke, voice low as if speaking directly to Lance. And if the boy had control of himself right now, he would be displaying a face of pure shock.

 

“Lord Zarkon.” A gravely female voice suddenly speaks, pulling attention towards the front door. A woman stands with a black cape and hood covering her face, her figure just past the doorway. Long white hair seeps out from the bottom of the hood, the woman looking down and not revealing much of her face. “Your presence is needed _immediately_.”

 

There was a pause, a breath where Zarkon looked intensely into blue eyes, Lance feeling like the man was literally reaching and searching though his soul for some kind of answers. And then they were gone, Lance falling to the floor in a heap, arms just barely able to catch himself. The entryway was empty, the door hanging open and letting light flood in from the hallway. Lance didn’t want to even move from the floor, his body feeling weak after all that.

 

“We have to go.” Shiro says then, voice quiet and weak, but still determined. “We have to go _now_.”

 

Lance felt an arm on his, trying to pull him off the floor. Blue eyes were locked on the entryway, breath just barely there as his heart raced. He had never been so terrified in his life. “Was that… was that him?” He breathed out as Shiro lifted him off the ground.

 

“Yes. And he will come back. Grab what you need, we’re leaving town.” Shiro is short, but Lance can tell the vampire is still shaken from what just happened. So Lance did as he was told, packing a small bag with clothes, toiletries, and anything else he figured he would need for a small getaway. Normally he would protest but after what just happened, he wants to get as far from here as possible. But then…

 

“My friends.” Lance mutters, hands pausing as he packed his laptop into the bag. “My friends are here. I have to tell them!”

 

“Lance, no.” Shiro spoke, hand coming out to stop Lance from grabbing his phone. “You can’t tell them. Look how much danger you’ve been put in because you know.” Lance stops, actually listening to what the man was saying. “We’ll have to wipe their memory and we’re back to square one.”

 

“But I have to warn them somehow! I can’t just skip town and not tell them why!” The blue eyed boy needed to see his friends before he left. Not only that but work! He was supposed to come in tomorrow afternoon, how was he supposed to do that? He had to warn everyone. “Shiro, I have to!”

 

“Lance, _no_.” There was no anger to his response, but it was definite. Lance backed down, eyed averting and pout covering his face. Shiro could tell that the blue eyed boy was concerned for his friends. “Listen, I know you care for your friends, but the best thing to do right now is leave.” The white haired vampires voice had become much softer now, pulling the pout from Lance’s face.

 

“Fine.” Lance spoke, finishing his bag off before slinging it over his shoulder. “Where are we going?”

 

It was about two hours later when the three of them pulled off the main road onto a dirt road, the drive becoming much bumpier than before, hands going out to grab the headrest in front of him. Every now and then Keith's hair would tickle his fingers, the boy sitting in the passenger seat in front of him, but he decided to keep his hands where they were.

 

Another twenty minutes down the dirt road that seemed to wind and twist before a house came into view. Lance sat up more, fingers coming dangerously close to Keiths neck as he craned his neck to look out the window. It wasn’t like the Victorian style mansion he was imagining, but a two story log cabin, which definitely fit the surrounding area, large windows that currently allowed sight of inside the house.

 

The car hit a bump and all three rocked in their seats, Keith's neck brushing against Lance's fingers as they held onto the headrest. The blue eyed boy could practically see the vampire shiver, goosebumps forming on exposed skin. The amber eyed vampire cleared his throat, making Lance retract his fingers, feeling his face flush.

 

Shiro parked the car just outside the front patio, the front door opening as they got out. “Shiro, Keith! Welcome back” A man with a long white braid running down his back spoke as he walked forward. Even in the dim light, Lance could see the scar over the man's right eye.

 

“Thank you Kolivan. We were hoping it wouldn’t be so soon.” Shiro spoke, taking the man's extended hand and shaking it.

 

“I see you have a friend.” Kolivan spoke, eyes moving to look past Keith and at Lance, the blue eyed boy feeling as singled out as ever. “Is he…?”

 

“No.” Shiro responds quickly. “There’s something else going on with him. Zarkon seems to have his eyes set on him.” The words came out as Kolivan gestured them towards the house, the four of them making their way towards the open door.

 

“Because of his smell?” Kolivan asks, Lance as well as the two vampires stopping. Kolivan walks a little more before turning. “What?”

 

“You smell it too?” Keith asks, voice quiet as if scared to ask.

 

“Come on, we have to talk.” Kolivan gestures towards the house again and the four make their way inside.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My heart swells knowing so many of you are enjoying my fic ! Thank you for the support and I hope you enjoy the next chapter :)
> 
> I apologize for grammar/spelling errors, no betas to be seen!

This place was surprising nice compared to Shiro and Keith's place. It was an honest log cabin, wood walls, furniture, and wildlife decoration to help set the aesthetic. Quilts hung on walls as well as paintings of wildlife, the chandelier above the living room seeming to be made of antlers. If Lance wasn’t so freaked out with the whole situation going on, he might have enjoyed the new area a little more, but the scene of what just happened played over and over in the blue eyed boys mind, hands tight as they held his arms across his chest. 

 

It wasn’t a lure this time that had Lance following the vampires, the group of four sitting on a large L-shape couch, pillows and blankets scattered across. Lance found himself tucked into the corner of the couch, pillow pressed against his chest and legs hugged tightly to the pillow. The three vampires around him began talking, but Lance felt trapped in his mind, the feeling of cold fingers on his throat keeping him from the present.

 

He was still trying to take this all in, the events of the past few days repeating in his mind. Could this all be some crazy lucid dream? Lance desperately wanted it to be, but with a pinch to his arm, the pain flourishing from the spot told him otherwise. This was not some dream, or at least a very,  _ very  _ vivid one in which he can feel pain, see everyone's faces clearly, and has the right amount of fingers. Still, that seemed more likely than actual vampires in Altea. 

 

“Lance?” Shiro’s voice pulled him from his thoughts, blue eyes looking over to his left where both the white haired vampire sat as well as Keith. They both looked to him expectantly, as if a question or sentence were tossed at him and he was expected to respond.  

 

“I’m… I’m sorry, what?” Lance replied, voice strained at first, but clearing out as he finished his words. 

 

Shiro looks a little upset, and the blue eyed boy wasn’t sure if it was because he wasn’t listening or if he felt sorry for Lance. Either way, the man kept his voice gentle. “Are you okay?”

 

Lance had not been prepared for that, looking to Shiro with wide eyes and mouth slightly parted. It took a moment for the boy to gather his thoughts, as if he could sift through them and decide how he felt. There was nothing though, he felt empty. Numb. “All things considered, yeah.” He finally spoke, dropping his eye back to the pillow squished between his chest and legs. 

 

The room fell silent again, a breath being released form Kolivan breaking the silence. “Why do you think it is he resisted your lures?” The man asked, the question directed at the vampires rather then the boy himself, said resistee. 

 

Shiro and Keith share a look before both eyes returned to Kolivan. “We’re not sure. The first wipe worked, but faded after a week, the second wipe never stuck, and he’s able to break and resit lures.” Shiro explains, hand scratching at the back of his neck. “It might have to do with his scent.”

 

“My scent?” Lance chimes in, the suggestion only seeming to confuse the blue eyed boy more. “What, because I smell a certain way you think I’m able to deflect your vampire powers?”  He asks, not really sure if he believes it or not. Then again, he had no idea what to believe at this point.

 

“Yes.” Kolivan speaks, pulling three pairs of eyes towards him. “Everyone has a scent, humans and vampire scents are very distinct from each other, but unlike vampires, humans have an array of scents. It all depends on what they eat, how healthy they are, how stressed they are, even emotions have an effect on human scents as well as taste.” Lance shivered at the mention of  _ taste,  _ remembering the blood flowing through his could easily feel these vampires. “Your scent, however, is much more intense than others, and it even smells sweeter.”

 

Lance sat there feeling awkward, scared, and frankly a little embarrassed. It was strange hearing Kolivan talk about how he smelled, like it was a normal thing to smell people, but then again, vampires were on a whole different level. “So because I smell… better than other humans… that’s why I’m able to resist?”

 

“Not exactly.” Shiro speak, Lance moving his direction to the familiar vampire. “It’s more so there’s a reason your scent is much more intense, and that reason is why you’re resisting.” He explains to the blue eyed boy. “So we need to figure out the reason.”

 

The boy nods, unsure of how to respond to the current situation. This was odd to say the least, but now he seems to have a target on his back because he smells too good. What kind of bullshit is that? But if that was the case, why had he not been attack sooner rather than later? Lance wanted to ask, but he remained silent as the conversation moved on, a pin stuck in his situation for further evaluation. 

 

A sudden halt happened in the conversation, Lance’s head perking up at the silence. It lasted for a moment before the front door came crashing open, Keith and Shiro in front of Lance before the boy could breath, two new persons standing directly opposite of them. Persons quickly turned to vampires though as the two men snarled at him, fangs out and eyes a glowing red.

 

“Ulaz! Thace! Enough!” Kolivan demands, his voice booming within the open living space. “You  _ will _ restrain yourselves!”

 

Lance had no idea what to do as these two vampires hissed with venom, Keith and Shiro seeming to unwillingly snap back, as if they were unsure. “What the hell is  _ that _ ?” The one with thick black hair spoke, two white lines running on either side of his head. 

 

“What are you doing bringing that here?” The other snapped, a short white mohawk atop his head. They both had vicious looking red eyes, ones that made Lance’s stomach drop. The white mohacked vampire looked to Shiro. “You can’t be bringing your food-!”

 

“ _ Enough _ !” Kolivan snapped again, this time his voice much more firm, much scarier in Lance’s opinion. “Lance is a guest within this house. You will treat him with respect!”

 

“Respect a  _ human _ ? I have a hard enough time with these two.” The one with white hair bit back, feeling like a stab at the two vampires defending Lance.

 

“It’s not our fault we’re like this!” Keith snaps, wide blue eyes looking to the black haired boy before him. “You boast about how being pure-bloods is so much better when you’re the ones closer to being a  _ monster _ .” It was like quiet rage leaked from Keith, the other boy feeling his chest tighten. There was something more to those words. 

 

“Keith, don’t.” Shiro spoke under his breath, but it was curt and Lance could see how easily it made the amber eyed vampire stop. 

 

“Ulaz, Thace, with me.” Kolivan spoke, standing and exiting the living room, the two new vampires following. When all three left, silence fell among the room, only the sound of Lance’s panicked breathing moving through the area. 

 

“What the hell was his problem?” Lance breathed out after a moment, the two vampires in front of him dropping down on the couch, both seeming to sink into the brown leather. 

 

“Pure-bloods.” Shiro spoke on his left, the man leaning forward and resting arms against his knees. “Any vampire with less than pure vampire blood is nothing but the scum on the bottom of their foot.” Crimson eyed looked back to meet with Lance’s, the boy still clearly shaken. “Humans they feel even less of.”

 

“Lovely.” Lance choked on the one word, not moving from his pent up position on the couch. It felt much safe then letting his limbs and torso be all exposed with so many vampires around, especially ones who didn’t seem to care about Lance since he was simply a human. “Do we have to stay here?”

 

“Yes. We need their help and they need ours.” Shiro speaks, sitting up straight. “There’s a war going on against the vampire Lord Zarkon, the vampire you previously met at your apartment.”

 

“ _ Met _ is a nice word for it.” Lance bit under hit breath. 

 

“Since it seems you’re pretty involved in this now, I’ll answer any questions you have.” Shiro spoke, receiving a protest from Keith, but the white haired vampire quickly quelled it with a motion of his hand. The black haired vampire resolved to sitting back in his seat with arms crossed over his chest. 

 

“Why are there vampires in Altea?” This seemed like the best first question, and luckily it was sitting at the front of Lance’s mind. “Why are you and Keith and all the other vampires here?”

 

Shiro looked over to Keith for a moment before looking back at blue eyes. “We used to be apart of a larger sect of vampires, up near Daibazaal. Zarkon had decided that he should be the one in charge of everything, but many were against that, including the current head vampire. Zarkon unfortunately took the previous head into battle and won, becoming the new head of Daibazaal. It wasn’t long before humans were dying to quickly and vampires were being born to fast… they decided to leave town and find a new place to become their hunting grounds. Altea was the next closest town.”

 

“Daibazaal? I’ve never heard of that place, where-?” Lance begins, but it seemed Shiro already knew that this was going to be asked.

 

“It was a very small town, smaller than Altea, and very secluded. There was only one fire station and police station, a very old and rundown hospital, and government buildings that could have been filled with ghosts. The town was poor, and Zarkon took advantage of that. He essentially cut off all contact with the outside world, the town disappeared within a night. The humans of the town became nothing but blood bags to them… and when they were all out, it was time to move to the next town.” 

 

Lance’s eyes went wide, the realization of what was going on, and what was about to happen hitting him like a semi truck, breath escaping him. “Altea is next.” 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing has been a little slow, but I still plan on keeping the fic up to date! Thank you for the kudos and comments!!
> 
> I apologize for grammar/spelling mistakes, no betas to be seen!

Lance hadn’t been able to sleep, even though the bed was comfy and the decorations of the small bedroom were homey, the blue eyed boy didn’t dare shut his eyes. It didn’t feel safe, not with all the vampires roaming around downstairs. The house had become quieter as the night progressed, stars beginning to fade away and hide behind the turning sky. The boy had been sitting near the window, temple pressed against the cool glass as he watched stars fade into the sky. 

 

A knock on the door made Lance jump, head whipping to the wood door on the other side of the room. “Lance?” Shiro's voice was unexpected, the boy sitting up a little straighter on the windowsill. “You’re still up.”

 

“Is that a question?” Lance replied, a smirk pulling at his lips weakly. 

 

Silence followed before the vampire on the other side cleared his throat. “Can I come in?” He asked a little sheepishly, turning the smirk into a gentle smile.

 

“Yeah, come in Shiro.” Lance replied, moving so that he was facing the door, window behind him. He watched as the handle turned, door creaking open softly before the white haired vampire stepped inside the dark bedroom. 

 

There was a look of hesitation on the mans face, crimson eyes darting around the room before meeting with blue ones. “Is something wrong with the room?” Shiro asks innocently, and it honestly makes Lance smile. The more he saw of the two vampire from Altea, the less fearful he was of them. 

 

“The room?” Lance asks, looking around the bedroom as if there was a correct answer. “Um, no the rooms fine. “The whole log cabin thing is kind of fun, huh?” Blue eyes look back over to crimson, and his answer seemed to disappoint the vampire even more so. 

 

“Then why are you still awake?” Shiro finally walked more into the bedroom, eyes casting a glance towards the window before following the wall as he moved closer to Lance. “Does your mind race?” 

 

Lance watched the man carefully walk around the room, but it took a moment before the blue eyed boy realized why the man was so carefully walking around the bedroom. The moonlight would soon turn to daylight. It took another moment for Lance to realize that he wasn’t uncomfortable being alone with the white haired vampire. That’s new. “Yeah, I guess it does.” The boy mutters, looking back out the window. “None of this feels real still… I feel like I’m in some never ending dream. Could I be in a coma?” 

 

“No Lance, you’re not in a coma.” Shiro replied, a little breathy as if he was trying to hide a laugh. “You’ve just entered a world that wasn’t meant for you.” 

 

A huff and Lance crossed his arms, looking away from the vampire. “It’s not like I did all this on purpose.” He almost whined, head falling back against the window. It definitely wasn’t his fault that he was there when Iris got attacked, and it’s not his fault the vampires lures didn’t work on him. If anything, this was the first time where Lance hadn’t been the one to put himself in the bad situation. 

 

“I know, but unfortunately you’re involved now.” Shiro stood at the other end of the window, body just a hair away from the glass, yet he managed to stay in the shadows of the room. “But I do promise that Keith and I will keep you safe.” 

 

Lance looked to the vampire, the white haired man watching him with eyes full of sincerity. He wasn’t sure what he felt in his chest just then, a tightening sensation that almost made him whine. This had to be the absolutely worst situation he could think of. “So what? Am I just going to stay here in this little log cabin room until I grow old and die?” The blue eyed boy knew he had to be over reacting, but that wasn’t something that would stop Lance. 

 

Shiro seems to almost laugh as he shakes him head. “No, no nothing like that. The vampires here, they have a plan to stop Zarkon.” 

 

“Wait, what?” Lance lean forward, not sure if he was expecting that or letting that go completely over his head. They  _ were _ with a bunch of vampires that seemed to be hiding from Zarkon. “Is that why you brought me here?”

 

“Yes, the vampires here can offer more protection then Keith and I alone. Plus, we’re pretty far out from Altea, so Zarkon shouldn’t find us out here.” The vampire continues to explain, peeking out the window for a moment as if to check how long before the sun began to rise. “They call themselves the Blades of Luna, a group of pure-blood vampires that… disagree with Zarkons tactics. They left and formed their own group, swearing to take Zarkon out. Many have been killed for the cause, but they seem to be getting closer now than before.” Shiro leaned against the wall as he spoke, looking into the dark room with arms crossed over his chest. “Not just pure-bloods have joined the cause though, vampires like Keith and I also fight alongside them.”

 

Lance was silent for a moment after the vampire finished, as if taking everything in. “So, there’s a difference between pure-bloods and… whatever you and Keith are?” He asks, head tilting to one side. 

 

“Yes. Pure-bloods were born of vampire heritage, and they are much stronger and have more powers than vampires like Keith and I, who were turned by a pure-blood.” Shiro explains, using a hand to scratch the back of his neck. “We have minimal powers, like the lures we used and Keith’s ability to wipe.”

 

The blue eyed boy nods, hand coming up to his chin as questions began to pool into his mind. “What if a vampire who is turned by a pure-blood makes another vampire? Is that possible?”

 

Shiro looks to Lance then, crimson eyes a little wide. “Good question,” Shiro begins with a soft smile, “it’s possible, but the created vampire would be very weak and have more human blood then vampire. The more it goes down the line, the more the vampire blood gets diluted.” 

 

“Hold on, what do you mean by it gets diluted?” Lance turned his body completely towards the white haired vampire, very interested in this new information. 

 

“In order to turn a human, a vampire must completely drain them of their blood and then feed their own to the human.” As the vampire begins again, Lance makes an unpleasant face, but the man goes on. “When a pure-blood turns a human, the human is given pure vampire blood, but their own blood is tainted because they were originally human. When that new vampire goes to turn another human, they’re giving the human blood that’s been diluted once by them, so the newest vampire will awake with blood that’s tainted once again by his human body.”

 

“As it goes further down the line, the more human the blood becomes.” Lance chimes in, understanding now what Shiro had been trying to say originally. 

 

The white haired vampire nods. “And at some point, the vampirism can no longer be passed down. Keith and I were turned by a pure-blood, so we’re as vampire as a human can be.” The last past was a little quiet, as it the man wa speaking to himself as opposed to directing that towards Lance. “A lot of pure-bloods hold heavy stigma towards those who are turned.”

 

“Like those guys downstairs.” Lance whispered, as if not wanting to get caught talking about them.

 

“Yes and no. I know Ulaz and Thace, they’re good vampires, but they tend to give in to the pure-blood. You just seemed to set them off for some reason.” Shiro spoke only a little louder then Lance, as if understanding the boys worry and matching the tone. What a nice guy.

 

“Give in to the pure-blood? What does that mean?” Lance almost scoffed, the phrase sounding strange and somewhat cliche.

 

Shiro seems to think for a moment before responding. “It’s kind of like a rage meter. All vampire’s have it, even Keith and I. It’s kind of like a primal instinct that is driven by survival. Mostly food for vampires. When we’re hungry, when we’re injured, when something smells a little too good, that meter goes up until we explode and go full rage mode.. It’s why it’s dangerous to be around a hungry vampire. Or an injured one, especially pure-bloods.”

 

“Do you and Keith have an easier time controlling it because you have diluted blood?” Lance asks, a little scared after learning of this news. The boy had been alone with Keith when the vampire was injured, but he refused to drink Lance’s blood, even when he offered.

 

A pause ensued before Shiro replied. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean we’re perfect. Lance,” blye met crimson and the boy felt his heart drop, “Keith and I can lose control.” 

 

Lance sat there, not sure if he was stunned or terrified. Maybe a mix of both. Shiro took notice of the boys reaction and retracted his eyes, something being said under the man’s breath that Lance couldn’t catch. He didn’t bother asking as fingers gripped the windowsill underneath him, breath a little shaky.  _ Calm down _ . There was no reason to get panicky right now, the vampire seemed to have perfect composure despite the tense that Lance felt. 

 

“I don’t mean to scare you Lance, I want you to know.” Shiro spoke softly, pushing himself off the wall, but neither moving away nor closer. “You should have all the information now that you’re here.”

 

The blue eyed boy looked over to the vampire, the man standing facing him head on. Lance stood from the windowsill and planted bare feet onto the floor, the wood cold underneath his touch. “Thank you Shiro, I appreciate that.” The boy lifted his head, allowing their eyes to meet. “I mean that, thank you.”

 

Shiro nods, a gentle smile pulling at his lips, fangs poking out from the edge of his lips. Lance wondered how sharp those were. “I should get going, the sun will be rising soon.” The man spoke, pulling blue eyes away from hinting fangs. “You should try to rest as well.” 

 

“I will.” Lance breathed out as he watched Shiro carefully scale the room as it seemed to brighten from the darkness before. “Goodnight Shiro.” He called as the vampire reached the door.

 

The man stopped, turning to look at Lance as he stood in front of the window. “Goodnight Lance.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hi! Thank you for all the comments and kudos, they keep me motivated when it comes to writing and all that jazz :) 
> 
> Hopefully the little wait was worth it, as this chapter is a little longer then usual. I want to start doing longer chapters, but it takes longer to write. What do you guys think?
> 
> Besides that, I hope you all enjoy this chapters, and as always, I apologize for spelling/grammar errors, no betas around!

Lance wanted to be apart of everything, ever since he was a child. He calls it curiosity, but almost anyone else would call it being nosy. Whenever Lance couldn’t be apart of something, all he could do was sulk or find ways to be included. Unfortunately this time around, Lance’s only option was to sulk as vampires had way to good of hearing, destroying his idea of eavesdropping on whatever meeting they seemed to be having downstairs. He assumed of course it had to be about Zarkon, as the Blades purpose is to take him down or whatever, but he still wanted to know all the juicy details. 

Instead Lance sat in the bedroom given to him, curled in the bed with the covers pulled over him. The walls and door were too thick to hear what’s going on downstairs, so the blue eyed boy resolved to sulking in the comfortable bed with pillows surrounding him. 

Still, he desperately wanted to know what was going on and most definitely wanted to be involved. Sure, he was some weak human that couldn’t do anything the vampires could, and seemed to smell really enticing to them, but he didn’t want to sit in the house and do nothing. 

Only that was all he could do, being the weak human he was. The memory of Keith saving his ass that one night made him shiver, the amber eyed boy bloodied and cut to hell as he stood over Lance protecting him. Lance could never do the same for any of them, he couldn’t move like them first off, remembering how he couldn’t even keep up with the two vampires fighting that night. There was nothing he had to offer besides comedic relief, which he assumed they would deny. 

A quiet knock on the door pulled Lance from the sheets, poking his head out and looking towards the door. “What?” He called out, still salty from being shunned. 

“It’s Keith.” A familiar voice spoke, Lance propping himself up slightly. He waited for more, but instead there was another round of light knocking.

“Come in Keith.” The blue eyed boy spoke loudly as he sat up more, pillows falling from his the places atop his body and plopping on the floor. Lance wanted to be annoyed, but felt something else completely as the amber eyed boy crept into the room shyly, closing the door directly behind him and not moving from the spot. Lance waited for a moment, as if letting Keith start. He didn’t “Whats up, man?”

The vampire cleared his throat out, hands tucked into the pockets of black jeans. “Shiro sent me up here to tell you we’re heading out.” Keith began, not looking directly at Lance. The boy had begun to speak, but it seemed the vampire knew where he was going. “Shiro and I, plus the other vampires. We’re going to a supposed hideout for some of Zarkons vampires.”

Lance had begun to get up but slumped back down on the bed as Keith finished, eyes locking onto his lap. “I guess I’m just supposed to stay here?” He asked, voice small.

“Yeah. It would be too dangerous for you Lance. You don’t know how to fight.” Keith spoke easily, as if he was stating that the sky was blue and grass was green. “I don’t- We don’t want you getting hurt.” 

Blue eyes met amber and Lance knew Keith realized he heard the slip, but the blue eyed boy didn’t point it out. “I know, I’m human and can’t do anything compared to you and your crazy fighting.” Lance began, waving a hand around to exaggerate his point. “But I can’t just stay here and do nothing!”

“Lance,” the black haired vampire spoke, taking a few steps closer to the bed, “you have to stay here.” Amber eyes were intense, and Lance knew that there was no way he could say the vampire.

“Fine.” He breathed out, breaking eye contact and crossing his arms. “I don’t like it though.” 

“I know.” Keith spoke softly, also averting his eyes. The vampire seemed to fidget with his gloves, pulling the black leather encasing his hands. “I honestly don’t want to go but Shiro is making me. Something about helping out fellow kin.” The vampire ran fingers through the length of his black hair, the mullet pulled out of the usual ponytail. 

“We could totally Parent Trap Shiro and I go instead of you?” Lance questions, it more being a joke then anything, simply because the two look nothing alike and, well Lance wasn’t a vampire. 

That seemed to pull a smile from Keith, but his fangs didn’t protrude like Shiro’s did when he smiled. “I don’t think that would work as planned.” The vampire speaks, his voice lighter then before, as if he was relaxed. 

“I don’t know man, I think it could.” Lance joked, watching as the smile grew on Keith’s face, but still no sign on fangs. “With a change of clothes and maybe a wig, I think we could do it.” 

Finally the vampire had to stifle a laugh, fangs presenting themselves in the process before a hand come to cover his mouth. Still, even for a moment the boys face seemed to light up, as if he wasn’t always this dark, dreary vampire. “That would be fun...but they would all be able to tell instantly.” The amber eyed boy drops the smile and hand, expression back to the same closed off one as when he entered. 

Lance let out a huff of breath before he fell back onto the bed, arms extended above him and fingertips hanging off the other edge. Blue eyes were locked onto the ceiling as the boy hummed softly. “Then it seems you’re stuck going, bud.” And Lance had to stay here, much to his disappointment. 

It seemed as if Keith wanted to say something, a single inhale before nothing. Lance waited for something else, and when silence still followed, the boy sat up onto his elbows. The amber eyed vampire simply stood at the door, eyes closed as he seemed to inhale deeply. “What’s up man?” He called out to the vampire.

Amber eyes snap open, locking onto puzzled blue ones. “I-I’m sorry. It just smells really… good in here.” The last part was a little hushed, but Lance could still hear, heart jumping at the simple words. Not only that, but he could feel heat flooding to his cheeks and neck, the tips of his ears turning red. “I should go. We’ll be back in a few hours.” Keith seemed to rush it out before hastily opening the door behind him and shoving himself through, silencing following the shut door. 

The boy brought hands to his cheeks, his palms cool against the heat of his cheeks. Of course the room smelled good, he was in here, and apparently he smells really good to vampires, so he shouldn’t be so flushed. Still, he sat there for a couple minutes with hands on his cheeks before he threw the sheets off of his and left his room, hearing the front door close right as he grabs the handrails. Lance wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he wanted to do something. 

Sneaking down the stairs and towards one of the windows, Lance peeked outside and watched as the five vampires slid into a black SUV, one of them stopping before throwing a glance at the window. He dropped to the floor, heart racing as he was sure he just got caught. Only, the engine seemed to start up, Lance picking himself off the floor and looking through the window again. Sure enough, the SUV drove away, no signs of anyone left behind, except for Lance. An almost empty feeling hit him when he realized that, pulling away from the window before looking around the cabin. He had to do something. 

And thus Lance found himself covered in mud, flashlight in hand, bat in the other, and following tire tracks. He figured that with enough mud he could get away with not being smelt, plus he would blend in better with the forest around him, and spotting a bat tucked in the corner of the living room sprung an idea. It was rather impulsive, not even thought out completely as Lance was compelled to do something as opposed to sitting in the nice little log cabin slowly losing his mind. So with no one around to keep watch, silly vampires, Lance was able to come up with and execute a plan rather quickly to follow the vampires. But about an fifteen minutes of the blue eyed boy following tire tracks on a dirt road, Lance had started to regret his decision. Maybe he should turn around?

He was about to give up when he spotted red lights in the distance, looking identical to the ones that drove away from the cabin. Lance had slowed his pace, not wanting to get too close to quick. To be honest, he still wasn’t sure what he exactly planned on doing. Maybe using the fact that he was able to track them unnoticed would aid in the argument he wasn’t a completely useless human, and thus be able to join the vampires in whatever they were doing. Lance still wasn’t sure exactly what they were doing, probably something with Zarkons vampires. 

A sound to Lance’s left tossed him from his thoughts and pulled it to the trees around him, panicked eyes searching the area around him as he swung around with the flashlight. He hoped it was just an animal, but crimson eyed flashed before him, hands grabbing at either arm. “Lance! What are you doing here?” Shiro sounded pissed, crimson eyes seeming to glow in the darkness. Fingers were tight on against his arms, the fabric of Lance’s jacket scrunched up. “You are supposed to be at the house!” 

“I didn’t want to do nothing!” Lance fought back, pushing Shiro off of him. Blue eyes flickered behind the man to see Keith, standing at the open door of the SUV up ahead, but moved back to Shiro. “You left me alone, what did you think I was going to do?”

“Stay at the house like we told you!” Shiro snapped back, hands going to run through white hair. An almost growl like sound left him, but he turned it into a shout at the end. It was like ice had run through Lance when he realized how mad Shiro was, but it was just as sudden that the anger seemed to fade, the vampires breathing steadying rather fast. “Lance, you need to listen.” 

“Maybe you should too!” Lance wasn’t calm though, feeling as if he still needed to defend himself. 

A voice from the car pulled everyone's attention. “Just let him come. If he thinks he can handle it. I can barely smell him through the mud, your boy is the one who sniffed him out.” Kolivan spoke from the driver side, looking solely at Shiro. “It’s his funeral.” 

“Shiro!” Keith snapped after that, but his voice was too quiet, as if afraid to speak out too much. 

Only the white haired vampire was silent, looking over his shoulder to where the SUV was, as if thinking. A breath came out then as Shiro moved back to Lance, crimson eyes unreadable. “If you really want to help…” The white haired vampire trailed off, but his eyes remained steady on Lance’s.

“I do.” Lance replied, his eyes as unwavering as Shiro’s.

The man just nods then, turning his body and gesturing towards the car. “Come on then.” The man speaks in a low tone, as if regret was something that affected him. Lance thought for a moment that maybe this wasn’t the right decision, but when he looked to the SUV and saw Keith still standing there, watching the two of them with an unreadable emotion across his face, his feet moved on their own. 

Lance felt a little bad now about being covered in mud as he sat in the very back of the SUV, the black haired vampire sitting besides him. This car was a little too nice for all the dirt and mud that would now cover its seats and floors. Still, he sat with the baseball bat between his legs, back against the seat as he watched the dark scenes zip past the window. 

“It’s another hour.” Keith spoke softly, pulling blue eyes away from the window. The black haired vampire looked forward, but let his eyes glance to Lance. “We’re only a few miles from the cabin.” The amber eyed vampire spoke again as Kolivan and Ulaz began to talk from the front. 

He felt defeated for a moment, getting caught so close to the cabin like it was some kind of joke, but then Lance remembered what Kolivan said like two minutes ago. “Who sniffed me out?” The blue eyed boy asked quietly not wanting to disrupt the vampires talking up front, watching them from two rows behind. “He did say even he could barely smell me.” 

“I did.” The vampires voice was almost a breath, and Lance could swore that he saw cheeks flush, but Keith moved to look out the window to quick, black hair covering his face from Lance’s sight. “I noticed your scent was following us as opposed to lessening.”

The blue eyed bow hummed, looking between all the vampires in the car. “And out of all of these guys, only you smelt me?” He asked, a little shocked that his mud plan seemed to work for the most part. When Keith nodded, a smile tugged at Lance’s lips. “Impressive.” He wasn’t sure if that was directed towards himself or the vampire, but he let it slip nonetheless. 

Keith didn’t respond, keeping his face towards the window. It made Lance feel slightly awkward, unsure if he said something wrong. He tried to brush it off though, deciding to zone in on the conversation happening up front. 

“...kill them. There are only three vampires we’re looking for that will have the information we want, the rest are useless.” Kolivan spoke, all the other vampires in the car paying attention to the conversation.

“Prorok, Haxus, and Morvok are the three vampires we need alive.” Ulaz continues, pulling out sketches of three seperate men. Was the myth about picture true? If so, it would make sense and that these were sketches, if not, then it would be ironic that they were using sketches. “Myself and Thace plan to find Prorok and Haxus, Shiro and Kolivan will be looking for Morvok. Keith and the boy will be back up.” The last part was thrown out like an afterthought, even Keith’s head turning with an unsatisfied look. 

“Why do I have to watch him?” Keith almost whined, complained more so aimed at Shiro then the vampire currently talking. Lance couldn’t help but feel offended, simply because he thought the two were getting along a little better. 

“Because you sniffed him out.” Kolivan speaks up, the amber eyed vampire not fighting the older vampire and instead just slumping against the seat, arms crossed over his chest. 

Lance really didn’t think that seemed fair, but he also knew that Keith was able bodied and could definitely defend himself, but he still wound up pretty damaged after the last fight the black haired vampire was in. And now they were going into some kind of den full of vampires? Maybe Lance really didn’t make the right call here.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh thank you everyone for your kinds words!! It makes me so happy that so many of you are enjoying my fic as much as I am writing it! (: 
> 
> This chapter isn't as long as I would have liked, but the next and following chapters will have more length to them. Thank you to those who responded, it meant a lot! Seeing how you guys feel about the story makes writing it so much more worth it! So as always, please enjoy and leave something behind if you'd like!
> 
> I apologize for spelling/grammar errors, no betas to be seen!

The hour seemed longer than it should have, the SUV carrying five vampires and one human coming to a very slow stop. Tree’s completely enclosed them, leaves pressed against the windshield and front windows, Lance concerned that they weren’t going to be able to get out of the car with all the trees surrounding. But so the boys surprise, all the doors to the car opened just fine, a few leaves here and there falling from the movement of doors and men crawling out of the car. Lance slowly followed after Keith, the last two slipping from the car and closing the doors quietly.

Apparently it was another couple miles to the den, but vampires would be able to hear the engine, therefore the last couple miles were to be walked. Except these people were vampires and they moved so silently over the forest floor that Lance felt like an elephant trying to sneak along the vampires. 

“This isn’t going to work.” Thace snapped, all the vampires stopping just a little while out from the car. “He’s too loud.”

“I’m right here.” Lance said, making sure to keep his voice down as the others did. 

“We can leave him in the car.” Ulaz offers, a hand cupping his face while the other held his arm up. 

“He would just sneak out and follow.” Shiro added, sounding a little tired if anything. Lance did feel really bad, he didn’t realize how bad an idea it was to come along. Still, he was glad he wasn’t stuck in the cabin dwindling his fingers and wondering when the hell all the vampires would return to the house. 

Lance pointed to Shiro though as he spoke and nodded his head. “Yup, I would just find a way out.” It was almost like he was proud of himself, as if he was some kind of escape artist. Which he wasn’t. “But he’s right, I’m loud, I can’t sneak like you.”

Shiro makes a sound, as if thinking. “Maybe someone could carry him.” The man speaks out loud, looking over to Lance and then Keith. “Since you two will be sticking together.”

“No.” Keith spoke before Lance had a chance to do the same. “If he can’t be quiet then leave him.” 

“Ouch, thanks Keith.” The boy said under his breath, but he knew the amber eyed vampire heard it, only he didn’t bother to look at Lance, keeping eyes focused on Shiro.

The white haired vampire sighs, moving closer to Keith. “We already know that won’t work. Please, just do this, okay?” The man's voice seemed genuine, low as if he wanted to keep the conversation between the two of them. It would have worked if everyone here wasn’t a vampire, minus Lance. Even he heard it and watched as Keith wanted to protest, but held it back as crimson eyes were steady on him. 

“Fine.” Keith finally snaps, amber eyes looking over to Lance, the boy feeling guilty for the situation they now found themselves in. Still, the vampire turned his back towards Lance and kneeled, offering his back. “Climb on blue eyes.”

If it weren’t for the darkness of the woods, Lance’s face would be on display with how flush it became. His chest leap as he took a step towards the vampire, each hand coming out to rest atop his shoulders, black hair pulled into a ponytail, all except for his bangs and loose hair up front. The vampire seemed stiff as Lance let arms slide across the vampires shoulder until his chest and stomach were flushed against the others back. Arms looped under his legs, firm as they locked under his thighs, fingers brushing the fabric of his jeans. Lance tried his best to hold back a shiver as Keith heaved him up, his body seeming to fall more into Keith's.

“We ready?” Kolivan spoke, looking to the three in the back. 

Lance barely noticed the look Shiro gave them before turning back to the other vampires. “We’re ready.”

They instantly started to move again, the blue eyed boy barely having a moment to collect himself before he began bouncing and shifting against Keith’s back, the amber eyed vampires fingers digging a little into his thighs to keep him steady atop his back. The boys arms were loose in front, nervous to wrap arms around the other boys chest to steady himself better. Even in the darkness there was enough moonlight so Lance could see goosebumps rise where his breath brushed the vampires neck, the pale skin exposed thanks to the ponytail. 

“Hold on better.” Keith suddenly spoke, his voice low as they seemed to be separating from the others. Lance had figured they were getting closer to the den, listening to what the vampire said and let his arms wrap around his neck, fingers locked as they rested atop Keith’s chest. 

With an abrupt stop, they stood in the silence of the woods for a moment, Lance’s eyes unable to tell the difference between shadows and trees as the night seemed to quiet all around them. Keith on the other hand zoned in on an area, footsteps slow and cautious as he stepped near a cluster of trees and underbrush. The vampire knelt as Lance was almost against the trees, the boy slipping off, hands trailing down the amber eyed boys shoulders and back until fingertips whispered against his mid back and pulled away. Somehow, he felt much safer atop Keith’s back as opposed to standing on his own two feet. 

“Stay here. I need to take care of the lookouts on this side.” The vampires voice was very low, to the point it was almost rough. He didn’t even give Lance a chance to respond before he disappeared into the night, the blue eyed boy stuck in the brush as eyes scanned the area. Silence ensued as Lance desperately tried to hear anything besides the wind rustling leaves above him. He wanted to move from the spot, allowing himself to press onto his hands and kneel forward to peek around the tree, but the night had grown too dark, even the moonlight having trouble reaching the forest floor. 

For a moment Lance thought he should be good and stay in place, but that moment past and he was crawling from the hiding space, reaching out to grab a tree to hoist himself up. Only when he reached out to expect rough wood, he was greeted with a slightly softer texture, digits wrapping around his hand. A shriek almost found its way through his throat, but a hand covers his mouth, red meeting blue. 

“I thought I told you to stay.” Keith almost growls, but seemed to be trying to keep his voice low. He helps Lance stand, releasing both his hands, the blue eyed boy standing there for a minute, dazed. “Do you listen to anyone?”

Lance stares at the vampire in a daze still, but then snaps but into himself. “My mom mostly, but even she had a hard time keeping me under control.” The boy manages to keep his voice low like the vampires, a smirk growing on his lips.

“You’re-.” Keith started, but seemed to stop, taking a breath and holding up a hand before releasing it, rolling his eyes. “Come on.” The vampire simply turned and began walking, Lance almost tripping over his own feet to try and follow. He tried to follow in Keith’s silent footsteps, but no matter where he stepped, leaves or twigs would crunch underneath him.

“How the hell can you manage to walk so quietly man?” Lance whispers out in a harsh tone, eyes down trying to focus on the ground, a branch smacking him in the face as he steps over a tree root, an annoyed grunt coming from him as he wipes his face. 

The vampire looks back at him, stopping for moment. “I can see a lot better in the dark.” Keith points out simply, looking back in the direction they were walking. “We’re close to the den, once we get there it’ll be easier for you to be quiet.” Amber eyes looked back to Lance, the vampire not meaning anything offensive from his words. The other boy still managed to pick up sass though.

“Well excuse me for not having magic vampire eyes.” Lance snaps quietly, trying to catch up to where the other waited for him. When he got close enough, the vampire began to move again.

“They’re not magic.” Keith replied coldly, pulling blue eyes to his back. “More like a curse.” The last part was spoken low, as if he was talking to himself, but Lance was still able to hear the words. “Just be careful.”

Lance didn’t respond, deciding instead to save his breath and focus on quietly following the vampire. They walked for a little while in silence, blue eyes watching as hints of moonlight would reflect off of raven hair in front of him and he began to wonder how the hell he wound up in this mess and how jealous Pidge and Hunk would be. He really missed his friends and hoped that they were still alive and well in Altea. Lance isn’t sure what he would do if anything were to happen to his best friends. 

“Lance!” A sharp voice pulled at his mind as a hand grabbed at his shoulder. He looked back and watched as Keith yanked him back, the two falling behind the tree-line that Lance hadn’t even noticed. “What the hell?”

The blue eyed boy sat up, a little startled by the sudden snap. “What?” Lance breathed out as he looked around them and took notice of the tree-line, a tall iron fence sprouting from the ground and ending in spikes above them, small gaps between each rod. The boy didn’t bother to listen to what Keith was saying as he inched closer to the fence, looking between the gaps. 

A tall mansion stood in what seemed to be a clearing, wood rotten and windows smashed, spires rising into the night sky. It was very victorian and super vampire-esqu with how dreary and rundown the place was. This definitely seemed like a place that would house a den of vampires, almost all the windows covered so no light from the outside world could come in.

“Are you listening?” Keith’s voice snapped at him, pulling blue eyes to red. 

“Oh yeah totally. Vampire mansion, spooky, gotta be sneaky, I got it man.” Lance responds, waving the vampire off as if he heard everything the boy was saying. When he received an annoyed look though, Lance puffed out a breath. “Okay, fine I wasn’t.”

A low huff of breath and Keith began again. “Shiro and Kolivan have already made their way inside, Ulaz and Thace seem to be having trouble getting in.” The vampire speaks low, moving amber eyes from Lance to the mansion and back. 

“Vampires?” Lance asks, tilting his head to the side as he looked up at the black haired vampire. 

A huff of laughter left the vampire, suprising Lance a little bit. “What else would it be out here?” Keith asked, his voice a little lighter than before. “Come on, we need to move.” 

They followed the iron wrought fence for a little before coming to an opening, the iron bent outwards and allowing one body to slip through. Keith went first and Lance followed, the two staying close to the ground as the moved towards the house. The blue eyed boy noticed that they weren’t heading to the front door, which yeah makes sense, but to a window near the back of the house that seemed to already be broken out.

“Okay.” Keith spoke, blue meeting red as they knelt below the window. “You will stay at my side at all times, if you see something, tell me. If you feel something, you tell me, and if it’s neither of those things, don’t make any sounds. Do you understand me?” 

It was odd hearing such a serious and honestly kind of scary statement to come out of Keith, but the blue eyed boy knew that if he wanted to tag along and get out of this alive, he should listen to the vampires. So Lance nods, deciding to start to no sound thing now. 

“Good. Then lets go blue eyes.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to my creation, I hope you all enjoy your stay! Longer chapter as promised, and I definitely enjoy it because it forces me to write in more detail which makes the reading experience better for you all! Thank you for your kind works of encouragement and excitement, and please keep letting me know what you think! 
> 
> Thank you for everything and I hope you all enjoy the chapter! 
> 
> I apologize for grammar/spelling errors, no betas to be seen.

Inside of the mansion was even worse than outside, the walls rotting and entire walls even missing as they snuck through the hall, one door following another, wood chipped and rotted like the rest of the place. Is this really where vampires like to hide? Obviously not since the vampires he knew lived in either a log cabin or an apartment, so, no? Still, Lance had to try to keep his breathing steady as Keith would stop them, poking a head around the corner before moving again. It felt like they were in a maze and only Keith knew the way out. 

Lance wanted to make comments on the house and ask questions, but he made sure to keep to what Keith told him, which was to not talk unless absolutely necessary. This was a place from creepy movies and the boy honestly felt like he was walking right into one, the vampire leading along the path. 

A noise to their left and both boys froze, a hand coming out to hold Lance back as if the boy was going to run right past him. They were frozen, Keith obviously listening in and trying to zone where the sound came from. It sounded like wood creaking, indicating that someone was walking near their area. Red eyes moved to blue and the vampire grabbed Lance before shuffling him into a room on their right, pushing Lance past the door. “Stay.” The door closed.

Lance stood there for a moment, blue eyes on the wood in front of him, this door not as bad as the others. Still, he stared at the peeling white paint as his mind processed, and when he realized why Keith threw him into the room, he heard a loud bang coming from out in the hall. Another loud band and Lance took a step back, scared of what was on the other side. But it was Keith, he was on the other side and more than likely fighting another vampire. This realization made Lance step back towards the door, a hand going to grab the handle. 

Stay. His hand hesitated. Keith did seem panicked and rushed him into the room before leaving, and for good reason. Lance knew he couldn’t fight, he knew he was be nothing more than a distraction, but he still wanted to help. Keith can’t be out there fighting by himself. Plus, Lance has a bat that he almost forgot about, his knuckles white on the handing holding it. 

If Lance can’t fight, then what can he do?

Another loud bang followed by a familiar grunt had Lance’s hand turning before the handle before he had anymore time to think. His vision was met by a body flying past the now open door, the boy standing there unsure how to take that. 

“Lance, what the hell?” Keith’s voice called out from the hall, the blue eyed boy poking his head out and glancing to the right, the black haired vampire standing there, shirt ripped across the chest and hair pulled from the ponytail. Amber eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the hall. On the other side of the hall Lance watched as a figure stood, auburn hair long and frazzled as they looked to Keith. Of course it was another vampire, red eyes and fangs accompanying a pale face, only this time it was a chick. Lance realizes then he hasn’t seen one female vampire this entire time, it’s honestly been a sausage fest with the vampires. Lance was starting to think only guys can be vampires, which would be totally sexist. 

“Get back!” Keith snapped, pulling blue eyes towards him. Lance watched as the amber eyed vampire launched towards him, glancing back at the other vampire who also seemed to be standing now and about to run towards him. As if instinct, Lance pulled back into the room and shut the door, backing away just as a precaution. 

Good thing he did, as the door broke in half, wood crumbling to the ground as the female vampire stood within the broken doorway. “So you’re him.” The vampire spoke, her voice like honey, yet his entire body trembled and goosebumps arose on his skin from the simple words. In a blink she was gone, Lance looking around the room to make sure she didn’t rush in, but the room was still empty. He didn’t have time to look at the door before his body slammed into the ground, fingers harsh against his shoulders. 

“You’re an idiot Lance.” Keith huffed out above him, the blue eyed boy not having time to process what was happening before he was shoved across the floor, back slamming into a wall. Focus snapped to where he just was, watching as Keith was taken to the floor by the other vampire, the black haired boy hissing harshly and snapping his jaws at the women. 

The women seemed to snap back, hissing just as loud as Keith. “How kind of you to bring him with you.” She spoke, auburn hair draping over the boys face. Lance watched as the the raven haired vampire fought against the women, but his hands were pinned and movements limited. “We won’t be saving any for you unfortunately. You’ll be dead.”

Keith scoffed, actually scoffed as he stopped moving. “Shut up.” 

Lance felt his body moving, grabbing the bat and launching himself towards the two vampires. There was no plan in mind as he moved towards them, auburn hair whipping as the women snapped her attention towards him. It was too late now to hesitate, Lance’s body flooding with adrenaline as their eyes met. 

In the moment of distraction that Lance caused, Keith was able to free a hand, grabbing a handful of red hair and pulling her head down, the sound of his fangs biting into her neck causing Lance to falter, the women shrieking. She flung herself off of Keith, one side of her neck torn as she covered it with her hand.

Keith on the other hand stood up spitting out blood and possibly flesh before wiping his mouth with his arm, red smearing both his mouth and arms now. The blue eyed boy felt his stomach churn, having to look away as he took a few steps back, unsure of what to do now. 

“How dare you!” The women snaps, blood running down her side from the wound on her neck. Her stance falters, Keith's attack definitely doing some real damage to the vampire, the women swaying from side to side before falling to one knee, the other hand coming out to catch herself. “Such a cheap trick.” 

Lance wasn’t sure what the women was referring to, eyes low to the ground as he watched Keith move towards the other vampire. “Maybe you shouldn’t have been so full of yourself.” The amber eyed vampire spoke, blue eyes unable to resist looking up and watching the interaction. It still made him sick though. 

“Fuck you.” The vampire snaps as Keith stands in front of her, seeming to have trouble even looking up with her neck. “You’re just a child.”

Hands moved for the women's head, and Lance knew better then to look as he shielded his eyes and covered his ears. Still, along with screams, the sound of Keith ripping the vampire's head off made Lance shutter, the nausea in his stomach worsening. 

When a hand breathed against his shoulder, Lance jumped, almost falling to his ass as he turned, blue meeting red. “You okay?” Keith spoke, blood still covering a good part of his lower face, hair roughed up from the fight. 

“Yeah man, are you?” Lance responded, somehow able to compose himself after what literally just happened. Still, he managed to shove the image out, blue eyes flickering to the body to see only embers covering the floor where the women was. Did that just happen whenever vampires died? Seemed a little extra, but Lance wasn’t going to comment on it.

“I’m fine, we should keep moving.” Amber eyes followed blue ones, looking to the pile of embers and ashes. “It happens when a vampire is killed. I still don’t know why, neither does Shiro.” Keith spoke, as if reading the boys mind. The vampire didn’t give it much time as he simply began moving towards the door and slowly opened it, gesturing for Lance to follow. He did of course. 

It was silent again as they moved through the hall, Lance looking ahead to see that the hall seemed to end and lead into a bigger room. Keith stopped them just before they reached the end, the vampire leaving Lance to move down the wall more and peak into the large open room, what he could only assume to be the foyer. When Keith waved him to follow, Lance was sure to keep his steps quiet as they moved through the foyer, ceiling tall above them, black sheets hanging to cover what he could assume to be windows and doors. Pieces of broken wood and glass laid scattered across rotten wooden floors, dust creating a thin layer atop everything, making it a little hard to breath. Lance definitely wanted to sneeze, but he held it back as best as he could while they made their way towards a winding staircase on the other side of the foyer. 

Wood creaked as they made their way upstairs, Keith keeping a steady pace with Lance behind him. They moved through the mansion with ease for a moment, taking shelter from the large open space in another narrow hallway with doors lining the walls. They walked in silence for a moment, the mansion seeming still and empty. 

“Move.” Keith snapped suddenly, shoving Lance to the wall before moving to the other. It was as if wind passed between them, both of their clothes wiping with the sudden draft that moved through the hall.

Only it wasn’t a breeze or draft, rather a person who now stood at the entrance to the hall, figure tall and looming as the three stood still. Lance kept his back pressed against the wall as he watched Keith move, stepping away from the wall and towards the other vampire. This new one seemed to have black hair similar to Keith’s, but after closer inspection Lance realized the vampire hair was blue, pulled into a braid that went down the vampires neck. He watched them with glowing red eyes, a true creature of the night. 

“So there’s more of you.” The man spoke, voice rough and deep. Red eyes moved between Keith and Lance, before they decided to stick on Lance, the boy’s heart racing under his chest. “And you really brought that with you?” 

More of you? That means that the others were here, but the mansion seemed to silent Lance couldn’t even begin to think of where. This place must be a lot bigger than the boy thought it was, the stillness giving off an impression that they were alone in the house, besides a few hiding vampires. But they were here for a reason, to take three certain vampires back with them, which the others were handing. Keith and Lance were back up.

“You all talk too much.” The amber eyed vampire bit out, not giving the other a chance to respond as he launched at the vampire, the two tumbling back into the open area of the foyer. 

Lance was unsure if he should follow or stay, but when hairs began to rise on the back of his neck, he was quick to run out of the hall to see what was happening. The two stood in the open area, railings on either side with a drop to the first floor below. Wood creaked as the two circled each other, Lance making sure to keep himself a little tucked behind the hallway entrance. He’s watched Keith fight a few times now, but he could tell that the vampire was beginning to weaken, his stance seeming a little less firm then before. That was not good. The blue eyed boy was confident in the vampires ability to fight, but something was wrong. 

That’s when Lance noticed the wetness that seemed to make Keith’s black shirt stick to him on his left side, just under his ribs. It had to be blood, there was no other reason that the vampire should be weak after just one fight. Keith was injured. 

It all happened so quick, the blue haired vampire lunging at Keith, and then blurs ensued, Lance only able to catch breaths of the fight, the two smashing into the ground with wood crushing beneath them, a body being thrown before the other would chase after. It almost hurt his head to watch, but Lance couldn’t turn his eyes away either, forcing himself to keep track of the fight. For a moment he was given relief when Keith was thrown, landing on his back near the blue eyed boy, who almost screamed when the vampire landed. The other vampire stood down at the other end of the open hall, near the stairs that lead to the first floor.

“Keith!” Lance couldn’t help but burst out as the amber eyed vampire stood, blood running down his left arm and dripping off of his long claw-like nails. He was hunched over, his other hand coming to the large tear in his shirt under his left ribs, the skin ripped and blood covering skin and cloth. 

“Don’t move.” Keith hissed out harshly, and the boy knew it was towards him. Fingers gripped the corner of the wall he hid behind, dropping to his knees as the vampires walked towards each other. 

The vampire with blue hair laughed suddenly, startling both Keith and Lance. “He must really taste this good if you’re protecting him this much.” The man spoke with venom in his voice, figure a little hunched as Lance noticed the other man had pretty noticeable wounds on himself, one of his pant legs torn and the skin beneath bloody and ripped, claw marks across his left breast. 

“Shut up!” Keith barked out, surprising Lance with the powering voice. “I’m not here to have a damn conversation!” The vampire charged at the blue haired one, the both of them flying back from the force and breaking the railing, two bodies falling to the bottom floor.

“No!” Lance almost shrieked, forgetting the vampires sharp words and running towards where the vampires fell, the two already standing on the floor below, the blue haired vampire taking Keith to the ground as he lunged, glass crunching beneath the two as they rolled. But then the blue haired vampire went flying, the raven haired one having trouble keeping up. Lance could see Keith a little easier, no longer one blur running around, but rather two now. One was too fast for blue eyes to track, but the other had a distant outline, one that blurred but wasn’t completely gone. 

That overwhelming feeling of needing to do something took control of Lance, moving away from the broken railing and running towards the stairs, but not before grabbing a broken piece of railing. Better to have something rather than nothing. 

Feet carried him down the stairs and towards the dueling vampires on the first floor, wooden beam in hand as he stood in front of the two. 

Keith was on the ground, kneeling before the other vampire with heavy breaths causing his chest to rise and fall dramatically. The vampires black shirt was torn more than before, but at least the other vampire looked just as cut up and bloody, only the other vampire stood above Keith, if not a little hunched. A glove-clad hand held the wound under Keith’s ribs, the other out as if trying to balance himself. Black hair was a mess, ruffled and coaxed in blood in some spots, either from his own or the other vampires, Lance couldn’t tell, and honestly didn’t want to know. He had to do something. 

With a scream, Lance charged towards the blue haired vampire, beam pointed towards him with the sharp end aimed at the mans chest. Of course, he was tackled to the ground a second later, back hitting the ground so hard all the air leaves him, vision swimming with the recoil as he gasped for breath. Holy shit, he was not ready for that, beam flying from his hand in the process, body writhing beneath the vampire. It took a moment for eyes to focus on the man above him, deep red eyes watching him with an intensity that sent a harsh shiver down his spine. “You smell fucking delicious.” The man hissed out as he held Lance down.

“N-No! Don’t!” Keith’s voice weakly called out, making the blue eyed boys heart drop. “Lance!” 

“You smell like shit!” Lance spit back, pressing hands against the vampires chest and pushed against him, but it seemed useless. “Get off of me, you’re crushing me!” The blue eyed boy was just flailing at this point, trying anything to escape the vampires hold. 

But then the vampires face was in his neck, breath tickling the sensitive skin and making him shutter. “I’ll enjoy this.” 

“No!” Lance truly shrieked this time as everything in his body did the same, fighting even harder against the vampire holding him down. “Keith!”

The weight was suddenly off of him, his entire body tingling as blue eyes stared up at the ceiling. It was a moment before he scrambled to his feet, eyes scanning the room wondering what the hell just happened. When eyes landed on a set of familiar vampires, the boys chest lightened. “Shiro!”

“Take Keith out of here!” The white haired vampire snapped, a flood of new vampires following them in. Lance was frozen in the spot, but he looked over to where Keith was, the vampire lying on the ground limp. “Lance, go!”

He didn’t waste a second as he ran towards the vampire, hooking an arm under the boys shoulder and hoisting him up. Adrenaline must still be working through his veins as he was surprised he could even lift the vampire up, let alone guide them out the house and back into the woods. There was one big problem though as they made their way out the door and towards the iron fence.

Lance had no idea where to go.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter so soon? Well, I mostly love this chapter and wanted to get it out asap, so I hope you all enjoy it too! 
> 
> I apologize for spelling/grammar issues. No beta!

Retracing steps was not as easy as Lance was hoping, especially with the night making it impossible to see and a body on his side slowing him down. Figuring out what side of the mansion they entered was easy, the blue eyed boy rounding the building and spotting the open hole in the fence. Crawling through it with a second body was another challenge, the wounded vampire helping where he could, but the boy was mostly breathless and lucid. 

The woods was where Lance really got lost, tall trees and dense brush making it impossible to see with faint moonlight making its way through the foliage. Leaves and twigs were nothing to the blue eyed boy as he kept a sturdy grip on Keith, fingers digging into the boys side as they limped through the forest. What made it worse was the vampires slowly heaviying body, as if he was starting to lose consciousness. 

“Keith? Hey, come on Keith.” Lance whined, losing his pace as he looked to the vampire, the boys eyes narrow slits and head tilting to the side. The blue eyed boy stopped then, scanning the area and trying to hear anything suspicious over the amber eyed vampires ragged breathing. 

“W-We shouldn’t stop.” The vampire breathed out, his voice so quiet that Lance almost missed it. 

It was a moment before Lance replied, moving to a small gathering of trees, the branches above thick and long, offering a good amount of shelter with the large amount of leaves. “You can barely walk.” He whispers out, keeping his voice low and he set Keith down against one of the tree trucks deeper within the gathering, an almost V like shape of trees enclosing the two. “You need blood, don’t you?”

“Lance, no.” Amber eyes snapped to blue ones quicker then he expected, intense as they focused on the boy. “I won’t… I’ve lost a lot of blood.” 

The blue eyed boy knelt in front of the vampire, feeling slightly defeated but not wanting to give up just yet. “And you’re going to lose more if you don’t heal.” His eyes were just as intense, matching the vampires, but they faltered, moving to scan the raven haired boys figure, the dim moonlight allowing for the boy to just barely see the large wound under Keith’s ribs. “You look like you’re dying.”

“I’m not.” Keith breaths out, his chest seeming to struggle with the rise and fall, a slight tremble moving over his body. It was then Lance noticed amber eyes seemed to take on a different intensity, no longer just seeming to focus on blue eyes, but rather the exposed skin around his neck, sweat removing a lot of the mud that covered him. “We need to move… We can’t-.” Keith began to stand, despite Lance’s protests and hands trying to stop him, but the vampire fell back to the ground with a loud groan, one of his hands moving to over the wound. 

“Keith! Dammit!” Lance tries not to yell, frustration peaking as the vampire seemed to wither against the tree, following the boy back down, kneeling closer than before, hands on either of the boys shoulders. “You. Need-” 

“You smell good.” Amber eyes glowed in the darkness, mouth slightly open with fangs seeming to protrude more than before. The vampire seemed focused on Lance, too focused on him really, the gaze sending shivers down the boys spine. He barely noticed when the vampire began inching towards him, the boy frozen in his spot as a hand breathed against his neck, breath stuck in his throat. Lance could feel the vampires thumb caress his neck, right over a pulse point where Keith could feel the boys heart racing. A breath turned into a whine as blue eyes closed. “No.” 

Lance’s eyes snapped open to watch as Keith fall back against the tree, the vampires mouth shut and eyes closed as he took in a deep breath. “Dude, what the hell?” The boy let out, voice a little louder than expected. “You can’t just do that and then stop!”

“I won’t drink from you Lance.” Amber eyes locked onto blue, the glowing seeming to dissipate and intensity lost, or at least replaced with the one focused on telling Lance no. 

“Yes you will Keith!” The blue eyed boy yelled before looking around the area, gaze falling on a small branch near them. Without thinking, the boy grabbed the stick and used the end with a sharp edge to cut the skin on his neck. “Fuck!” Lance couldn’t help but bite out as he felt skin break, hot blood trickling down his neck as his eyes closed. “Oh my god, I didn’t think it would hurt that bad.” 

“Lance.” Keith’s voice had an edge to it, the boy meeting amber eyes again, this time though they glowed like they did before. The vampire had an expression of guilt plastered upon his face, fangs pressing against lips as hands slowly reached out for Lance. The boy could feel himself slipping, mind becoming hazy as if the vampire had begun to lure him, and the blue eyed boy wasn’t resisting. “Why did you do that?” The vampire seemed to whine, the sound causing Lance’s chest to sting. 

He wanted to reply, lungs taking in an airful to say something, possibly amusing, but he felt himself pulled forward, practically falling into Keith’s lap as one of the vampires hands cradled his neck, leaning his head to one side, the other wrapping around the boys lower half as if to keep him in place. Only a gasp left Lance as he felt cold breath against his neck, lips brushing against tender skin, the boys stomach doing flips and chest tight as Keith seemed to breath him in.

“I’m sorry.” The words are spoken against his neck, body trembling at the feeling of fangs pressing against his skin, just enough pressure to not break the skin. And then they stick in, a scream trapped in his throat, becoming a whine as pain sprouted from the spot like fire, a burning sensation making it feel like his neck was on fire. But then the pain was gone and replaced by something else entirely, every muscle and bone in his body relaxing, breath slowing and becoming more steady as he felt himself almost vibrating, fingertips and toes tingling. It was euphoria. 

Lance wasn’t sure how long they were like that, or how long he could manage to stay like that, his conscious starting to fade in and out, strange white lights floating across his vision as he stared off, not even noticing that his body was going numb to Keith’s touch. It didn’t seem to matter at that time to Lance, he was more concerned with the vampires health then his own.

“Ke… no!” A voice sounded washed out, as if his head was underwater and whomever was talking above the water. “Stop!” Lance barely noticed hands on him pulling him away from Keith’s grasp, fangs leaving his neck and something else pressing against. 

Everything moved around him in blurs, random white lights floating across his vision at times blinding him, and voices trying to pull him out of this haze surrounding him at other times. For a while there was nothing, Lance’s body floating in this numbing darkness as hours seemed to past. His last couple of conscious minutes keep playing over and over in his mind, the sharp pain at his neck, the rush of euphoria after a moment, and the brush of Keith’s hair against his chin. The vampires hair was much softer than he imagined, and if Lance remembers correctly, it kind of smelt good too. 

“He’s… a lot… blood!” A familiar voice tries to penetrate the boys mind, but it seems to float right past him, Lance barely taking in the sounds. “... Keith!” Keith? Was something wrong with him still? Lance had really hoped that the vampire was healing now thanks to all the blood that he so graciously donated. 

Faintly he could feel fingers on him and possibly the breeze tossing his hair as voices faded in and out around him, the boy unable to concentrate on any single one as the darkness he was floating in kept them away like a bubble. It wasn’t until the darkness around him shifted to a bright white that Lance felt sheets wrapped around him and a soft mattress below his aching body. And oh boy did his body ache. 

A soft groan left his throat as he rolled onto his stomach, allowing his face to be smothered by the pillows. It was only when he moved did he realize how sore his body was, all the muscles in his body throbbing with the simple movement. It took a moment of fingers grabbing sheets and eyes slowly cracking open for Lance to fully process where he was, which was back at the vampires log cabin, tucked in his bed. 

Sun had begin to come through the large window on the back wall of the room, painting the room in a mixture of pinks and oranges as rays passed through the sheer curtains over the glass. Lance slowly pushed himself up, the white sheets clinging to his shoulders as he sat on his knees in the bed, a hand coming up to secure the sheets around him as he felt something tug at his skin. One hand holding the sheets, the boy raised the other to his neck, fingertips brushing against some type of texture that takes a second for Lance to recall… bandages! He had a large bandage sticking to his neck, the blue eyed boy having to pull through a foggy memory as he tried to remember why he had this bandage.

It took a moment, Lance even scratching his head dramatically to try to stimulate his memories, and he remembered everything. The mansion, the fights, escaping with an injured Keith, and then offering the vampire his blood. The blue eyed boy shivered remembering the interaction, hand coming up to the spot as his memory recreated the feeling of Keiths thumb on his neck, the gentle touch giving the boy butterflies. Only a bandage covered the spot now, and more then likely two small fang holes as well. It was another moment when Lance realized he was still in his muddy, and actually very bloody clothes from the night before. Had the vampires just tucked him in bed the night before? He’s not sure if he feels better about that or would prefer if they hosed him down a little. 

Still, the boy slowly got up from the bed, using stiff legs to move to the door across the bedroom to where the bathroom was on the other side, adjacent to the window. Inside the bathroom, cool tile met with aching feet, relief hitting him instantly as he closed the door behind him and began to peel off his clothes. Dirt and blood managed to stick to his skin, the boy inching to get all the grime off of his as he turned on the shower, water beginning to flow from the head above him. A few moment passed before it was warm, Lance using that time to shuffle through the bathroom and find a clean towel before entering the shower.

Hot water soothed his aching muscles instantly, a soft groan escaping his lips as he just stood under the hot water, letting the steam and pressure wash off the grime from his skin. Eventually he had to use his hands, pouring a good bit of soap into his hands and scrubbing at his body. The scent of sea salt and lime mixed with the steam, the whole bathroom smelling like a beach in less than ten minutes as Lance filled the tub with muddy, bloody suds that washed right down the drain. 

After a while the boy just wanted to stand there, hair and body now clean from the nasty layer of grime that had been growing on him. Water ran over his body until it went cold, and even at that point, he left himself stand there for a bit longer. Fingers picked at the bandage, but he figured it best to leave it alone.

Once he was towel dry, Lance moved back into the bedroom, rifling through his bag to find a new set of clothes, which happened to be a pair of blue jeans, a graphic tee and a leather jacket that had a fabric hoodie and other bits. The boy also grabbed his computer, which he honestly had forgot that he even grabbed, and took it over to the bed where he dressed himself before sitting down in front of the small laptop. As he opened it and entered his password, there was a small voice that told him these vampires probably don’t have internet, which sadly was true, as there was no possible internets to connect to. Defeated, Lance fell back onto the bed, shutting his laptop and sliding it towards the edge of the bed. 

Sounds from somewhere in his room grabbed the boys attention, sitting up almost instantly and blue eyes moving to where it came from. Panic had arose in his chest, but quickly dissipated as Lance saw who it was inside of his room. “Keith?” 

The vampire stood in the far corner of the room, hidden in the small amount of shadows the sun cast into the bedroom, the amber eyed boy keeping his head down, guilt apparent in the way he held himself. Sunlight had changed from shades of pinks and oranges to a more solid gold, a mirror of the window beginning to move itself across the floor nearest Lance. The vampire as usual in black attire, this time in a tight fighting quarter sleeve with a few button running down the middle, and black jeans to match. 

Amber eyes looked up then, meeting blue gaze with an emotion unreadable plastered across his face. “I’ve been having dreams.” Keith speaks, his voice quiet and almost lost in the large bedroom. 

Lance sits on the bed, still as he focuses on the vampire in the corner. “Is that… odd?” He asks, unsure of how to respond. He figured the boy would start with something along the lines of ‘sorry for almost killing you’, but this just threw Lance off. 

“Yes…” Keith begins, looking around the room before moving amber eyes back to blue. “We don’t… vampires don’t dream. I haven’t had a dream since I was turned.” The vampire admits, amber eyes breaking away and moving to the scattered sunlight across the bedroom floor. “But I had a dream…”

The blue eyed boy had begun to slip off his bed, feet slow as he moved towards the vampire without really thinking about it, legs still aching and a little shaky as he stood. “What kind of dream?” Lance asks, voice a little light as his fingertips ran the edge of the bed. 

“I’m in the sunlight.” When the words leave the vampire, Lance stops inching towards him for a moment, his mind processing the words. “I can… I can feel the sunlight and… it doesn’t burn…” Keith goes on, amber eyes moving down to his bare hands, fingers seeming to tremble. “It’s warm.” 

Lance stands there a little stunned with this new information, unknowing of the fact that these creatures couldn’t dream, and now being told that this one vampire just did. He wasn’t sure what to say, instead choosing to silently move into the large window shaped sunspot in the room blue eyes locking with amber. “How much would it hurt?” 

“Depends on how long.” Keith responds quietly, shrugging his shoulders before moving his eyes away. “It’s like putting your hand on a hot stove.”

“Keith.” Lance spoke in a gentle tone, one that pulled amber eyes right back to him as he extended a hand out, fingertips just inches from the shadows. “Come here.”

A scoff left the vampire, shaking his head as he stayed put. “No way blue eyes, I’m not going to take a chance on a dream-.” He stared, his tone beginning to sound annoyed as he shook his head, but the blue eyed boy cut him off. 

“Keith.” The boy spoke in a more demanding tone, one he didn’t use often as he never liked being the serious one. Still, it pulled those eyes right back to him, voice cut off and mouth slightly ajar. “Come here.” 

There was some kind of pull Lance felt on his chest then as red and blue stayed locked, the two boys letting silence fill the room. It seemed like he wasn’t the only one to feel the pull, Keith pushing himself off the wall and slowly inching towards Lance where he stood directly in the sun. The boy stood there firm, arm still extended out towards the shadows as breath was held in his lungs. 

A look of longing was painted on Keith’s face as he crept forward, amber eyes unmoving from blue. “This isn’t a good idea.” The vampires voice is just barely above a whisper, fingers trembling at his sides as he neared the sun, Lance’s hand only a foot or so from him, the sun even closer. Even still, the hand at his side began to rise, fingertips shaking as the vampire began to reach out for Lance’s hand.

The room was silent as Keith let the sun touch his fingertips, pulling back instantly. Lance could tell it was an instinct, the vampire not pulling away completely and keeping eyes focused on blue ones. It took a moment, but he reached fingers into the sunlight again, allow the bare skin to bathe in the small warmth. Shallow breaths left the vampire as amber eyes were glued to the sun on his fingers, as if waiting for them to catch fire, and when they didn’t, Lance allowed his own fingers to slide across the skin of Keith’s palm, wrapping fingers delicately around the vampires hand. He began to pull slowly, exposing more and more of the vampires skin to the sunlight, the gold coloring most of the boys arm. 

Amber eyes stared at the gold as it touched his skin, his other hand coming up to feel where the sun painted his skin. “Its… warm.” Keith spoke in a voice that resembled a scared child, eyes wide as they looked between his skin and Lance. “W-Why is it warm?”

Lance didn’t respond, instead smiling as he took a step back, pulling Keith more into the sun, the vampire seeming too stunned to really resist as his whole body was engulfed in the sunlight. It was then when it hit the vampire, hands moving across his body as if to make sure this was real, that he was truly feeling this. He then brought his hands out in front of him, turning and examining them as the sun cast gold upon them. Keith was in total shock, and Lance could only stand there in wonder, watching this beautiful creature be engulfed by golden sunlight. 

Wait, what? 

“Lance.” The vampire breathed out, pulling blue eyes to him despite the flush appearing on the boys face. “Am I dreaming right now?” The way he asked pulled at his chest, Keith seemed to be in complete wonder and awe, and honestly Lance was too a little bit, knowing vampire lore and all. Keith should be dead. 

Instead he stands in the sunlight, gold making the fair skinned vampire look like a damn angel, the blue eyes boys heart stuttering as amber eyed reflected the golden hue, a halo effect seeming to take place within those eyes. “No… you’re… you’re awake.” The boy speaks in a low voice, unmoving from his spot, despite the fact he wanted to reach out and feel the sun on the vampires skin. For some reason, he thought it might feel nice. 

“What’s happening to me?” Keith then asks, looking over his body again as the sunspot slowly moved across the floor with the rising sun. Amber eyes moved back to blue, as if Lance had some kind of answer he could give, but he was just as lost as the vampire was in this situation. This was all new territory for Lance, and possibly for Keith too. 

So the boy could only shake his head, blue eyes unmoving from their gaze upon the vampire. “I… I don’t know.” He said honestly, moving closer to where the boy stood, both still in awe. 

A hiss of breath broke the silence, Keith suddenly retreating from the sunspot back into the shadows, what looked like steam or smoke seeping from his exposed his, the vampire ramming into a wall with the intensity of his recoil. Hands ran over his skin again, breath back to a ragged intake as amber eyes locked onto Lance. “What the fuck?” He bit out harshly. 

Lance could only stand there with an open mouth, completely baffled at what was happening just like the vampire was. They both seemed just as confused as the other. It was then that Lance knew what they should do.

“We need to talk to Shiro.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New day, new chapter! Another longer one that I'm really excited to share with you guys, more klance bonding moments and all :) Thank you for your continued support for this fanfic, I definitely feel like I can keep this story going for a while, plus I already have the whole plot outlined so it makes keeping the story flowing a lot better.
> 
> Please keep up the support, kudos and comments make my day, plus I love seeing y'alls reaction to it as well :) 
> 
> I apologize for any spelling/grammar errors, no betas to be seen!

Neither of the boys were able to depart ways and rest, both electing to stay hidden within Lance’s room with the thicker curtains pulled shut, making the large bedroom much darker. Still, the two sat on the floor across from the bed, back against the wall as they waited for night to come, for that was when they’d be able to talk to Shiro. Until that point, they were here in the boys temporary bedroom, Lance’s legs pulled to his chest while Keith’s were extended. 

They had remained silent for a while, both of the boys seeming to reflect on what happened earlier in the day, the vampire seeming to be more in a state of numbness than anything. Lance had tried to make small conversation, not wanting to sit in complete silence and let his mind simmer on thoughts it rather not, but the vampire still seemed very trapped in his own thoughts. That was when he decided to simply talk, beginning with his friends and how be missed them, the coffee shop he worked at, and even began talking about his family before a response was given from Keith. 

It was a Christmas story, a few years back when Lance was still living at home with his family. Something about fighting with his sisters and almost setting the tree on fire because he thought it would be cool to have candles in the tree. His mom didn’t this so, and therefore wasn’t allowed to celebrate New Years with his best friends, Pidge and Hunk. This lead to the trio sneaking Lance out of his room come New Year’s eve and watching the towns firework display from the roof of his house.

“My parents and I would go out of town and cut down a tree Christmas morning.” Keith spoke in a soft voice, the blue eyed boy looking over to the vampire as it honestly surprised him that he finally spoke up. The vampires attention was straight forward though, face relaxed and amber eyes lidded as he spoke. Lance was completely silent, unsure of what to do in order to keep Keith going. It seemed being silent was enough. “I grew up in the… uh in the nineteenth century so-.” 

“Wait, really?” Lance couldn’t help but burst out, completely forgetting that this vampire is from a time past. “I-I’m sorry, I forgot.” He whispered out, a hand coming up to cover his mouth. “Continue, please.” The boy speaks through fingers as he regrets letting himself speak. 

Amber eyes slowly move over to him, Keith moving his head just slightly so he wasn’t straining to see Lance. “We would wake up early and head into the woods near town, a lot of the folks in the village did the same. If we went earlier, it usually meant we would get a better tree, so I always made sure to wake us all up right as the sun rose.” 

Lance sat there looking at the vampire and couldn’t help but smile, imagining a small Keith in nineteenth century outfits. His heart swelled at the thought, the tips of his ears turning red when he realized that amber eyes were still locked onto him. Lance really hoped that the darkness of the room shielded his girl-like blushing. He could feel his face heat up, needing to take a moment to look away before blue eyes moved back to the vampire, amber eyes steady on his figure. Goosebumps arose on his skin, heartbeat faltering for a moment. 

“I managed to wake us up early enough one year to get a really good tree.” Keith continued, gaze moving off of the boy and back into the room, a hand combing through loose black hair. “It was as tall as my father and he had to get help carrying it back to the house. I wanted to help but… my parents said I was too young.” Voice drifted off as if the vampire began to think, becoming lost in his memories and thoughts. 

“Did you decorate the tree?” Lance asked in a shy voice when the vampire seemed to pause for a while. He wanted the boy to keep talking, not only enjoying the story and seeing into the vampires past, but he really liked the sound of his voice too. Which he would not admit to anyone. Ever. 

The vampire nodded, pulling legs up to his chest and resting his chin atop his knees. “Yeah. Kind of like how it is today. We had popcorn garland that we would wrap around the tree and small toys too. Those we sat in the branches, kind of. I could never get them to stay, my mother always had to help me set them up while my father would place a wooden angel on top.” Keith paused for a moment, either to collect his thoughts or himself, Lance didn’t look very far into it. “My favorite part of decorating was the candles, I liked hanging the pendulum holders from the branches and steadying it with a candle. I wish those were things still today.” 

“So there’s a way to hang candles on Christmas trees? It’s totally a thing!” Lance somehow got excited, a smile beaming across his face as if this was information he has been searching for his whole life. “If I had that pendulum thing or whatever when I was trying to put candles in my family’s tree, it would have been fine!” 

Lance catches the gentle smile that pulls on the vampires lips, just enough to reveal the small points of his fangs. Heat flushed through his veins as he remembered the other night, blue eyes quickly moving back to amber ones and trying to act like nothing was wrong. Since truly, there was nothing wrong. 

The vampire definitely noticed the reaction Lance has give, expression shifting to one of guilt before the boy simply turned his head away. “I’m sorry.” Keith suddenly speaks, voice low. 

“Hey man, it’s okay.” Lance tries to soothe, reaching a hand out and almost touching the vampires shoulder. He stops himself short though as he notices shoulders stiffen. “You’ve got nothing to apologize-.”

“I almost killed you Lance.” Keith snaps, amber eyes moving to blue ones quickly, Lances hand midair between them. “I almost… you were barely breathing.” A sharp voice softens, showing guilt the vampire felt about what happened. “And I couldn’t stop…” 

A shiver runs down Lances spine, the memory of the vampires fangs in him, hands holding him in place firmly as the blue eyed boy just… enjoyed it. That was the fucked up thing, Lance remembered enjoying it, that it felt like everything ecstasy would be, but more. 

“I’m sorry.” Keith said again, this time pushing himself off the floor and beginning the stand. Before thinking the blue eyed boy reached out for him, fingers wrapping around the vampires wrist without a moment's thought. Amber eyes snapped to the boys fingers as they stopped him, an expression crossing his face that Lance couldn’t read. “Don’t-.”

“I’m not dead.” Lance says with a steady tone despite the tense air. This pulls the vampires attention, amber meeting blue as the boy just barely rose from the ground to hold back Keith. “You didn’t kill me Keith, so stop. Don’t go.” The last little part slipped out, lips immediately shutting and blue eyes going wide as his face became flushed again. Not only that, but amber eyes also looked surprised. 

“You could have died because of me.” The vampire whispers, voice quiet as if he was having trouble saying it. Either that or because he wanted to remain quite as to not disturb the dead. Even with it being like noon, all the vampires in the cabin were last asleep. Except Keith of course, staring down at Lance with sad amber eyes. “Because I got injured, you... you decided to help me.” 

Lance sits there on the floor with air in his throat, simply staring up at the vampire combing his mind for a reply that might make the amber eyed boy stay. Fingers were still wrapped around a wrist, but neither of the boys seemed to take notice. “You looked like you were dying, it was worse than the fight at the restaurant! Keith, I wanted to help you.” 

“I didn’t want your help.” Keith spoke and it felt like ice in Lances chest, the slightest of a whine leaving the blue eyed boy. “No-I-It’s not like that.” The vampire suddenly began gushing out, kneeling down next to the boy, changing ice to fire as the two because very close. “I don’t want you to get hurt Lance, especially by me.” 

“I knew you wouldn’t hurt me-.” Lance begins, shaking his head at the vampire as checks flushed red. He needed to stop blushing so damn much. 

“I would have killed you if Shiro and the others hadn’t shown up when they did.” The amber eyed boys words were cold, Lances own words stopping instantly at the sudden tone change. “You smell- you taste so-,” the vampire releases a tense breath, “there’s something in your blood that makes me want to lose myself. I can’t do that. I won’t.” Keith’s gaze was intense, the boy radiating such a heavy emotion that Lance could feel it himself. Guilt. It came off of him in waves and almost made the blue eyed boy nauseous. “You can’t let me.” 

“What if something happens and you need blood again and I’m the only one around?” Lance rushes out, fingers still locked onto the vampires wrist as they were just barely eye level. “What then?” 

“We’d find me some blood that wasn’t yours.” Keith replied, voice still low as he had yet to pull his wrist away. “Or I’ll die.”

Lance made a sound, almost like humming before shaking his head. “Nope, you dying isn’t an option either bud.” There was a bit of bite to his words, almost like annoyance, but he didn’t feel that at all. It was more so annoying that Keith would rather die than drink his blood. “I’ll make myself bleed so you have too.” 

“No!” There was something deep and desperate about the way Keith responded, voice panicked and eyes wide. “Don’t- don’t do that! Please! Don’t-.”

The blue eyed boy wasn’t ready for the vampire to respond like that, the panic that swept over him clear in amber eyes and making Lance’s stomach knot. “Keith.” The boy breathed out the vampires name, the other instantly quieting at the soft spoken word. “I won’t do it again, I promise. I’m sorry.” He kept his voice low and gentle, blue eyes flickering between amber ones. 

Amber eyes reflected the same motion, body slowly lowering to the ground to sit beside Lance again as opposed to kneeling as he was. “I don’t like to lose control of myself.” Keith speaks softly, as if it was more to himself as opposed to Lance. “I’m not a monster like the rest of them.” 

“Is that why you and Shiro steal blood?” The blue eyed boy asked, leaning forward a little as if to get closer to the vampire. 

Keith’s eyes shifted to Lance’s, red and blue connecting within the darkness of the room. “I don’t want to hurt people. Neither does Shiro.” It wasn’t a direct yes, but he could tell the vampire was trying to defend himself, which he didn’t need to do with Lance. 

A hand came up to Lances neck, fingers brushing against the bandage covering fang marks. “I’m really sorry Keith…” He breathes out, picking at the fraying cloth on his neck. 

It took a moment for Lance to notice amber eyes were zoned in on the bandage at his neck, goosebumps making the hair at the base of his neck rise. “I’m sorry Lance.” The vampire spoke as a hand began to reach out towards him, fingertips seeming to tremble as the air between them shifted. Lance couldn’t help but tilt his head to the side, cold digits breathing against the heated skin near the bandage. It was then amber eyed began to glow, the blue eyed boy feeling his mind beginning to fog. “I did this.” 

“Are you…?” Lance begins to ask, feeling his mind slipping as if he was being lured. It always seemed to hard to pull out of the fog Keith seemed to create in his mind. 

“No.” It was too quick that Keith was standing and out of reach, Lance’s mind feeling as if a fresh breeze took all the fog away, clear attention on the vampire. “I didn’t-I didn’t mean to. I-I should go.” Tripping over his words, the amber eyed boy was able to gracefully slip out of the room before Lance could even protest, leaving the boy a little breathless and very confused. 

Lance sat there for a while after that, back against the wall and blue eyes flickering to the door on his left as if Keith would walk back through. It was a while before he accepted the vampire wasn’t coming back, slowly standing from his spot on the floor and creeping to the door to pull it open. Halls were still dead silent, the sun still high in the sky, and for a moment Lance had a thought. 

He missed his friends. Lance wondered how his two best friends were and if the coffee shop had burnt down without him. He couldn’t wait to tell them that it was vampires this whole time, and now he was knee deep in vampire shit that he might even be forming a crush on one. Might be. Probably was. Lance was pushing that aside as he snuck into the hallway, tiptoeing towards the wooden handrail and gazing over to the living room down below. It was completely empty, the curtains pulled over windows creating a very dim light that gave just enough way for blue eyes to see. How long until sundown? 

Feet were quiet yet quick as he collected a few things from him room and slipped on his shoes before heading back down the stairs. It was a little past twelve thirty now, and it took them about two hours to get here when the two vampires first brought him here, so four hours out leaves about three hours at Altea, given sun sets around eight o’clock around this time of year. As long as he got back before the sunset, he was completely safe, and so his plan was set in motion, fueled by pure impulse. 

Getting out to the car and driving away from the house was the easy part, the hard part was getting service on his phone and finding a way out of here. Following the dirt road worked well enough for a while, but at a certain point the dirt road became gravel, then pavement, and before he knew it there were more roads to turn off onto. He eventually pulled over and took his phone out, the bars slowly beginning to ascend. All at once his phone blew up, text after text and missed call after missed call made it almost vibrate out of his hand, a pressure against Lance’s chest making tears well in his eyes. For some reason, he really didn’t think anyone would notice his disappearance. 

He didn’t bother calling anyone or replying to any texts, instead Lance simply put on directions for home and floored it. Luckily he was mostly on back roads and was able to speed like crazy, making it to Altea in less than ninety minutes and parking at his apartment around two. It was weird walking into the building and taking the elevator up, unlocking the door to his apartment slowly as if someone might be hiding behind it. Lance wasn’t far off.

As the door creaked open, light seeped into the hallway and small sounds could be hear, but not before a sharp hush made the room quiet. Lance swung the door open at that point, feeling the heat from panic rise in his chest as blue eyes locked onto the two figures in his apartment. “Pidge! Hunk!” 

“Lance!” They both seemed to shriek, charging at him before engulfing the boy into a tight three person bear hug. He felt hands at his face, on his arms, Pidge inspecting his clothes while Hunk looked over his body for injuries. The two spoke at the same time, asking different questions that it simply overwhelmed Lance, the boy backpedaling a little as he tried to process both sets of voices. 

“What happened?” Pidge asked again, grabbing Lance by the arms, forcing the boy to look down slightly to meet their eyes. “You’ve been gone for a week Lance!” 

“We thought the cultists got you too.” Hunk almost seemed to whine, an expression of grief coloring his face. It pained Lance to see his two best friends like this, but at the same time he felt so happy that they really seemed to care. 

“You have a lot of explaining to do Lance Charles McClain.” Pidges tone was harsh, their expression one of clear exhaustion mixed with what could be relief. The both of them must have been really stressed about Lance’s disappearance, and with further inspection around the room, it seems like they’ve taken up refuge at the apartment, food boxes an array across the living room and kitchen, the comforter on top the mattress tossed and crumpled like it was used recently. This definitely didn’t bother him. 

Lance stood there for a moment, staring at the bed and remembering how Zarkon appeared near there just after sunset not too long ago. It sent shivers down his spine, blue eyes moving away from the bed and back to his two friends standing in front of him. “You’re not going to believe me.” He said, voice low as he walked around the apartment, eyes scanning every corner as if checking for something, but he wasn’t sure what. 

“Did you join the cult?” Pidge asked, tone a little annoyed with him, but it seemed like that was a common tone between the two. 

Hunks eyes widened at that though, snapping to Lance. “You didn’t, did you?”

“No! No, there’s no cult you guys.” Lance dismisses them, waving his arms around as he shook his head. “It’s worse than a cult.”

Pidge and Hunk shared a look before moving back to Lance. “What’s worse than a cult?” The smallest of the three asked, raising an eyebrow as they plopped down on the couch. “A small town with the mentality of a cult?” 

Hunk made a sound, seeming to shiver. “Aren’t there already communities set up like that?.” The boy asks, moving to sit next to Pidge on the couch. “Cults aren’t always bad per se, it depends on what their morals are.” The large boy always seemed to be the one to shed some light on whatever topic they were conversing on, even if his opinion may not be the most popular. 

“It’s a cult Hunk, they’re always bad!” Pidge yells out, and Lance couldn’t help the smile that pulled on his lips as he sat down on the coffee table in front of them. “Most cults end in killing sprees of either others or themselves. Case and point what’s happening here.” Attention was quickly turned back to Lance. “So where were you Lance?”

The boy considered it for a moment, looking between his two friends before taking in a deep breath. “I was with a bunch of vampires.” Silence fell over the room as the words left Lances lips, two sets of eyes glued onto the boy as he just laid it out there. When neither said anything, he took that as a cue to continue. “Not bad ones, or at least the two I know are good. The others seem good too honestly, they just scare me-.”

“Lance, did you fucking say vampires?” Pidge asks in a rushed voice, pure disbelief taking a hold of both his friends faces, a little more shock on the smallest of the three. When Lance began to nod, Pidge began to shake his head. “No, you did not just say vampires.”

“I think he said vampires.” Hunk whispers, either to himself or Pidge, Lance couldn’t tell, but the silence of the room made it easy to hear. “You said vampires.”

Lance nodded his head despite the fact Pidge was still shaking theirs. “I did. One of them even bit me. But I did let him, since he got injured protecting me.” 

“Woah, woah, protecting you?” Hunk said this time, seeming to come out of his state of pure shock. “Why was one protecting you?” He asked, golden eyes locking onto blue ones, honey orbs instantly making Lance feel like he was safe and back at home. Lance hadn’t felt like that in a while. “What was it protecting you from?”

“Another vampire.” Lance replied, looking down at his hands as fingers began to fidget. “Like I said, there’s good ones and bad ones. The vampires I’m with are good… I think.” He honestly wasn’t sure where this was going and wished he had more time to prepare the ‘ive been hiding out with vampires’ conversation, but when your two friends are sleeping in your apartment because they’re worried about you, then it’s customary to tell them immediately. 

“Okay, let’s backtrack.” Pidge breathes out, hands running down their face. “You got taken by vampires?”

Lance explained everything, from the nightmares to whatever revolution the vampires seemed to be having at the moment, and even about the two vampires he’s grown fond of. Both Hunk and Pidge were quiet, listening intensely and probably holding questions for when Lance finished speaking. He was careful not to miss details, except maybe the private moments he shared with Keith, figuring those were something he much rather keep to himself. 

When he was done and everyone caught up, they sat there in silence, Hunk and Pidge exchanging looks before gazing at Lance and starting the process again. The boy could tell something was up, the way the two looked at each other like a conversation was going on. When both looked to Lance, he felt his chest tighten. 

“So the bandage on your neck?” Hunk asked, pointing to the spot where Keith bit him. A hand came up to it, fingertips brushing the slowly peeling tape. “Is that from one of them?”

Lance nodded, picking at the tape. “Yeah, but I made him do it.” He admits, feeling a little upset remembering what Keith had said. “He was going to die… I couldn’t let him.” Remembering the incident made his skin hot, the feeling of sharp fangs still fresh in his mind. 

Pidge sighed, blue eyes looking over to his friend as they sat back in the couch, sloughing against the plush cushions “You know this is really hard to believe, right?” His friend asked, dirty blonde hair tousled as fingers kept running through it. “I mean, vampires? What is this, twilight?”

“He didn’t sparkle in the sun.” Lance said a little quickly, most definitely not meaning to let that come out. Blue eyes looked between the two as he straightened his back and sat up more. “Keith, the one who I gave my blood too. He stood in the sun for a few seconds and he didn’t sparkle or anything. After a minute or so he started to burn though.” He let his voice veer off towards the end, as if he realized that he was trying to defend Keith despite the vampire not even being here.

“We need to meet them Lance.” Pidge spoke in a very serious tone, eyes snapping back towards them with the sudden shift in tone. “But you already knew that.”

Lance looked at his friends and took a moment to think, remembering how many times he’s almost been killed now that vampires are in his life. That was something he most definitely didn’t want for his friends, and so even though he told them he would try his best to get them together, Lance knew he would try his hardest to avoid letting his friends get involved. As long as he could protect them, he would.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I toss another chapter at you! Hope you're all enjoying the progression of the story, plot is going to be thickening soon, as well as romance (; But still a slow burn so respectively of course. Another character introduction this chapter, but only a little. Good and bad times to come ahead!
> 
> No beta so I apologize for grammar/spelling errors!
> 
> Comments and Kudos make my day (:

After a short time, Lance was able to get the three of them out of the apartment and to the boardwalk, images that make his stomach churn flashing across his memory whenever he looked to the bedroom. He wasn’t ready to be back in the apartment yet, and it seemed that his friends were understanding to that. So only a few minutes later, the trio was walking down the street, the sun beginning to curve down to the west. Lance checked his watch and read three twenty-six, the panic that rose in his chest settling as he realized he still had more time with them. As he returned focus to the conversation, he realized a question was thrown his way. “What’s up?”

Honey eyes rolled as Pidge made a clicking sound with their tongue. “Do they sleep in coffins?”

“What? No!” Lance responded, face and hands a little over exaggerated as the three walked down the fairly busy street. “I don’t know! The bedroom had an actual bed, so I’d assume the other rooms did too.” He rushed his answer out, crossing arms over his chest. “I never really got to see where the others slept, but the whole cabin was furnished normally.”

“They’re obviously not normal if they’re killing people and drinking their blood.” Pidge piped up, skipping a little to avoid a bunch of cracks in the sidewalk. “A nice furnished house means nothing to killers.”

“I read somewhere psychopaths are very good at interior design.” Hunk chimed in, receiving an odd look from both Lance and Pidge. “Or at least there’s this great interior designer and she’s a psychopath.” The large boy continued, hand coming to his chin and stroking it, as if that would help him some way. “Doesn’t matter,” Hunk brushed himself off, quickly seeming to refocus, “point is, just because they’re crazy doesn’t mean they don’t have standards when it comes to living.”

Pidge and Lance exchanged a look, as if they both considered what the boy had said. “So you’re on… who’s side?” The blue eyed boy asked as the trio stopped at a crosswalk, the red walking man steady on the monitor telling them to wait. 

“What? I’m not on anyone’s side, I’m just throwing my thoughts out there.” Hunk replies with a defensive expression, not being one to get involved in other people's matters unless absolutely necessary. “They could be crazy, they could not be. Furniture doesn’t decide that.” 

“Thank you!” Pidge yells, practically bouncing into the street and across the walkway as the light for them went green. Lance simply stood at the curb defeated as his two friends walked away. “Come on Lance!” 

A little bit more down the road, along with a little bit more teasing from Pidge, the trio arrived at Cafe of The Lions, a familiar bell chiming as the glass door slid open only to be assaulted by a variety of bakery scents and goods. Lance felt so good being back in the Cafe, a smile growing across his face as fingertips brushed the tops of tables and chairs they passed on the way to the front. 

“Lance!” Another familiar sound chimed, but this time is was Allura speaking, the white haired women quickly rounding the counter and rushing towards the blue eyed boy. Two arms pulled him into a hug, something he was not expecting, and therefore didn’t really have time to react before the woman pulled away. “Where have you been? We’ve all been so worried about you!” 

Of course, Lance was quick to come up with a lie. “I’m so sorry! There was a family emergency with my with my mom and I had to leave in the middle of the night basically.” The blue eyed boy leans against Hunk casually. “I was so caught up in everything I didn’t even let these two know. I’m so sorry Allura.” 

The white haired women seemed to believe him, a hand coming up to her chest as if she was sympathetic. “Oh no! What happened? Is everything alright? You know I love your mother and would go crazy if anything happened to her.” 

Lance waved the women’s worries off. “Nah, nothing serious. My ma wouldn't want me talking about it anyway.” He took a hand and covered one side of his face as if he was about to whisper to Allura, the women leaning forward to hear. “It’s very private.” The boy did indeed whisper, expect it wasn’t a complete whisper, his friends hearing it as well. 

“Oh, well, I’m glad everything worked out okay.” Allura replied, her tone coming across as a little suspicious, despite the ease with which Lance spoke with. “Are you planning on coming back to work soon? It’s been about a week.” She questioned, crossing arms over her chest. “With your playful demeanor, I assume you’re fit to work again?” 

With that question, Lance was at a loss. He assumed he would return to the cabin this evening before sundown, but what after that? Would he continue to stay there or try to return to his normal life? Vampires are still running loose at night and he’s protected with the ones he knows, but his friends aren’t, plus he can’t just leave his life behind to hide in a cabin in the woods. Still, Lance didn’t have an answer. “I-I don’t know. I was going to head back to my moms later this evening.” 

“Can we come?” Pidge asked, a sly look in their eyes telling Lance exactly what was going on in that little punks mind. “It’s been forever since we’ve seen your mom.”  
“Wouldn’t that be lovely!” Allura immediately replied, seeming to glow. “I’d love to see your mother Lance.” Violet eyes beamed towards blue ones, a look of excitement painted across her face, making her so much more beautiful than she normally is. Still, her words made his blood run cold. This was going bad. 

“Something just happened guys, something private. Shouldn’t we give Mrs.McClain some time?” Hunk finally spoke up, eyes a little sharp as they looked to Pidge, clearly derailing Pidge’s idea. Of course hazel eyes looked up to Lance, a somewhat annoyed expression displayed on them. That wasn’t something that came across the boys face very often. 

“Thank you, Hunk.” Lance said with as much honestly in his tone as possible, for both fake reasons and real ones. This was a secret that could not be exposed, Pidge and Hunk were already in danger because they knew, Allura didn’t need to get involved in that mess too. “My mom would really appreciate it too.” 

Luckily the exchange was as short as the coffee was, the trio leaving their manager behind and luckily heading over to Pidge and Hunk’s apartment, the two bedroom sitting across from the ocean, a small living room with a kitchen tucked in the corner, one door on each side leading to a bedroom with an extra one on the left leading to a bathroom. Lance always loved coming to their apartment, the place always feeling cozy and comfortable, a stress reliever for all the craziness that happened in their life, an oasis. As Lance sat on the large L-shaped couch with plush cushions and sank into his seat, he thought about how much he really needed this. 

A tv sat on top of a stand, framed pictures of the three on the wall behind the tv, a few posters and paintings as well. Pidge liked to paint in their spare time, a few of those pieces hung up on the walls around the house, along with Hunk’s food art. This place really spoke to their personalities with decorations of both their interests, it made Lance miss them so much. How long would he have to be hidden with the vampires before he could be free to hang out with his friends again? The thought was very daunting to him. 

Still, Lance let all his worries and stresses wash away when the other two plopped down on the couch with him, a smile forming on his face as a PS4 controller was handed to him, Pidge returning the easy smile. The blue eyed boy because lost in time as he played games with his friends, eating popcorn and drinking soda like a regular human, Hunk even pulling out a bottle of Captain Morgan at one point, the three sharing straight from the bottle. 

It was only after sunset had occurred that Lance thought to look out the window, but at that point the alcohol had hazed his memory a little, the boy unable to remember why sunset had such a relevance to him as stolen keys sat in his jacket pocket. 

“Fuck you!” Lance yelled as he got launched off the platform in Smash Bros, the trio switching to the Wii only about an hour ago. “I can’t believe you just did that!”

Pidge was almost squealing on the floor in front of him, the small blonde choosing to sit on the ground as Hunk and Lance seemed to need as much space as possible on the couch to fight. The blue eyed boy was just slain by Pidge, making that three in a row. “You should have seen your face! Ha!” They yell out, chopped up by laughs and a few coughs, mimicking a screaming man face as they pause on the floor, receiving a laugh from Hunk and causing the two to erupt. 

“Yeah, well you died forever ago Hunk!” Lance defends himself, arms crossing his chest as his two friends laugh, fueled by alcohol and good times. Even still, the blue eyed boy couldn’t help but join in on the laughter, feeling a heavy warmth in his chest as the sun completely set out the windows, darkness taking over outside. None of the three noticed. 

At some point Lance’s bladder began begging to be emptied, forcing the boy off the couch and into the small bathroom to relieve himself. It always felt weird walking into bathrooms drunk, Lance thought, the sudden light change and tight quarters made him feel uneasy. The feeling didn’t quell at all as he finished and washed his hands, looking at himself in the mirror as something picked at the back of his mind. 

It was only when glass shattered outside the bathroom that it hit Lance. 

The boy launches himself out of the bathroom, slamming the door open to find Hunk and Pidge backed into the small kitchen to his right as a breeze seemed to come in through the window to Lance’s left. Only thing was that the window was closed, his friends looked terrified, and when the blue eyed boy made his appearance, both pairs of eyes shot to him. Panic flushed through his veins as he slowly turned his head to the left, eyes trailing on the ground to spot shattered glass scattered across the floor, the drapes covering large windows whipping into the room with the heavy lake breeze. 

Standing just before the window was a tall man, long white hair tailing down his back and shoulders, an outfit suited for a nineteenth century gentleman, a suit jacket colored a lilac with white dress pants and shoes. The man looked classy as hell, but something seemed so wrong with him as he stood in the moonlight, the draps folding and wrapping around his body. Deep scarlet eyes snapped to blue eyes, and Lance instantly knew this was a vampire.

“I’m surprised you're not surrounded by your pack of protectors.” The man spoke with a smooth voice, sounding almost british with how posh the words were said. Still, it made the panic in his system spike. Pack of protectors? He wasn’t referring to the vampires he was hiding with, was he? Who was this guy anyway? 

“Who the fuck are you!?” Pidge almost screams from the kitchen, a large knife in hand with an even larger Hunk looking horrified behind them. “You’re going to pay for that fucking window!” 

The white haired man simply puts a finger to his lips and hushes Pidge, the knife dropping to the floor with a loud clang as their small figure suddenly went limp, Hunk having to act fast in order to catch them and keep them from slamming on the ground. The sight made Lance’s stomach drop, only beginning to understand the power this vampire possesses. He remembers the talk he had with Shiro about different types of vampires and powers, and from what he just saw, this had to be a pure blood. 

“That’s better. Don’t want to be waking your neighbors up so late, now do we?” The vampire commented in that same smooth voice, as if nothing had happened. 

“Who are you?” Lance is barely able to whisper, but he knows it’s crisp and clear to the vampire, scarlet eyes snapping to him. 

A grin pulled at his mouth, fangs pushing past lips as his head tilted to the side slightly. “So you’re the one.” Of course, Lance’s question was completely thrown out the broken window as the vampire made his comment, taking a few steps towards Lance. Scarlet eyes looked the boy up and down, fear and panic mixing in his chest as he felt himself take a step back towards the kitchen. “Quite a scent on you. Although, it seems to have been tainted.” 

“What do you want?” The blue eyed boy was able to get out as his back hit the far end of the kitchen counter, adjusting himself to slide along it and close to where Hunk had pulled Pidge to hide from the vampire. Lance was physically shaking at this point as he felt something tug at his mind, fog trying to seep into his focus. 

The white haired vampire took a few more steps forward, almost crossing the threshold between the living room and kitchen, feeling like a last defense between them. “We want you Lance. Do you even know what you are?”

“Not a blood sucking cunt, that’s for sure!” Lance bit back, seeming to only be angered by the fact this man knew his name and seemed to play some angle with him. The fog pulled back, the blue eyed boy knowing that feeling being the start of a lure, Lance focusing hard on not letting it in. He had no idea what to do in this situation, knowing full that charging at this vampire head on was a terrible idea, but so was letting them get trapped in a corner like prey. “Get out of here!”

Lance reached out and grabbed the paper towel holder next to him and threw it at the vampire, the wooden piece seeming to not even affect the man as it thumped against his shoulders and fell to the ground. That of course didn’t make the boy give up as he grabbed a pan Hunk was handing him and launched it at the vampire, the metal slamming right into his chest. Still, the vampire was unaffected. “Are you quite done?”

Just like always, Lance was unable to see as the vampire charged at him, hand grabbing him by the neck and tossed him across the apartment. A sharp gasp escaped as he slammed into the ground near the window, glass biting into exposed skin as his back slammed into the wall. He was completely breathless, wind knocked out of him as his vision swam, pain mixing with pure shock as he tried to collect himself and get up, ears ringing as he could swear he heard Hunk somewhere in the distance. 

Another gasp left Lance as a hand grabbed his neck again, raising him from the floor as the sound of glass falling against glass was gurgled against his ears. Blue eyes fluttered and blinked, trying to focus on the pair of scarlet in front. “My father wants you to himself.” The vampire suddenly spoke, the boy flinching from the unexpected words. “But it seems someone has already claimed you.”

“What?” Lance breathed out, finally able to focus on the vampires eyes. 

The sound of a door slamming open behind the vampire pulled blue eyes to the entrance of the apartment, but he didn’t get a chance to look as his neck was released, body beginning to fall to the ground as Lance wasn’t ready to catch himself. Luckily someone was there to catch him. 

“What the fuck Lance?” Keith snapped at him as his body was held against the black haired vampires chest, one sturdy arm hooked under his shoulders while the other hovered over his body, amber eyes seemed to take notice of every piece of glass that either cut Lance’s skin or was still stuck in him. The blue eyed boy only trembled in the vampires arms, feeling himself finally be able to relax and not have to focus so hard on keeping himself from being lured. 

“Lotor.” Shiro’s commanding voice suddenly filled the room, a wave of relief washing over the boy as he realized not only Keith was here, but so was the other vampire he trusted. “You shouldn’t be here.” He spoke, crimson eyes narrow and stance threatening as he stood in front of the pair on the ground as if shielding them. 

Despite the stand off that seemed to be happening, the blue eyed boy was stuck on the face above him.“I’m sorry.” Lance breathed out, watching as amber eyes shifted to his. “I just wanted to see my friends.”

Something flashed across the vampires eyes and face, something along the lines of sympathy and understanding. “I know, blue eyes.” Keith spoke just as soft, the nickname making Lance’s chest flutter as blood run hot. 

“Do you even know what he is?” The white haired vampire’s voice suddenly grabbed their attention, the pair of blue and red eyes turning towards the two vampires standing off. The sentence grabbed Lance’s attention more than anything, something pulling deep in his mind. “How can you not smell it?”

Shiro took a step towards the white haired vampire, Lotor, and dropped his voice. “You tell Zarkon we won’t let him lay a finger on Lance, no matter what he is.”

“You don’t even know what he is and yet you defend him.” Lotor spoke as he also dropped his voice, seeming to not be intimidated by Shiro. Then again, this vampire might be an actual pure blood while Shiro and Keith were both turned. “Such powers wasted on such foolish creatures. You both should have died long ago as humans, I don’t understand why my father kept you alive for so long.” 

“I would have loved to have died when I was supposed to but your father has taken that from me, from us.” Shiro seemed to snap back, anger leaking into his tone despite the calm earlier. “Now leave, we both know you can’t hurt us.” 

Scarlet eyes traced down to Lance, the boy still cradled against Keith’s chest. “All of you are fair game, as long as I don’t kill you.” Lotor looked back to Shiro, the man still standing tall between the white haired vampire and the pair on the ground. “Don’t mistake me, I can and would love to kill all of you. For now, you can keep protecting him, but when my father truly wants him, Lance will be ours.” 

And like that he was gone, leaving only a broken window in his path along with a room full of silence. There was a breath released by Shiro before he moved down to Lance, kneeling besides the pair and looking over the boy. “He’s really hurt.” Keith almost seems to whine out, one hand still hovering over Lance’s right side where a majority of the glass shards stuck out from him. They were small, not jabbing too deeply into his skin, but it still hurt like hell, and moving was the farthest thing from his mind as he tried to stay as still as possible. 

“I know.” Shiro soothed Keith, a hand coming up to be placed upon the amber eyed boys shoulder. He was about to say something else when crimson eyes flickered to the kitchen, Hunk still hiding with a passed out Pidge behind the counter. “We need to deal with his friends first.” 

“Woah!” Hunk shot up from behind the counter, hands up and face panicked. “Listen man, we won’t tell anyone, I promise! Please don’t kill us!” The large boy was terrified and Lance could hear it in his friends voice, a hand coming up to grab Keith’s dark grey shirt, the v-neck revealing a fair about of skin around the boys collarbones. 

Amber eyes looked down to Lance while Shiro stood. “Please… don’t hurt them…” 

“I don’t want to hurt you.” Shiro spoke gently, losing the forceful tone he had with Lotor and replaced it with an appropriate one for this situation. He even began walking towards the kitchen slowly, hands out in front of him to show he was also not aggressive. “You’re Lance’s friends, aren’t you?” 

Hunk seemed to pause at that before nodding his head. “Lance is like family to Pidge and me both.” His friend spoke, pulling a smile onto the blue eyed boys lips. “Are you the vampires he’s told us about?” 

“He’s told you about us?” Shiro asked, looking back at Keith, a panicked expression exchanged between the two. “That makes things a lot more complicated, but I think so.” The crimson eyed vampire responded as he looked back to Hunk, face clearly showing he was thinking. “Your friend back there, Pidge right? I can wake them up.” 

“You can wake Pidge up?” Hunk asked, as if he wasn’t going to completely believe this guy who showed up out of nowhere and was kind of similar to the guy who was literally just here messing everything up. “That’s mighty convenient.” 

Lance rolled his eyes out of habit when Hunk threw around that tone, groaning and whining as he leaned up and tried to see his friend over the counter, Keith seeming to panic as he tried to keep the boy from sitting up and possibly hurting himself more. “Trust him.” Lance managed out, able to just barely lock eyes with his friend. “Trust… them…” A sharp hiss and the blue eyes boy fell back into Keith’s arms, whining as what felt like fire crawled across his body. 

“Hunk.” Shiro spoke, hazel eyes locking onto crimson. “I need to get Lance out of here and somewhere safe, and I know he won’t let us leave you here with your other friend unconscious. You’re coming with us.”

“What?” Keith bit out, attention snapping to the other vampire in the room. “We can’t do that! Kolivan and the others-!”

“I’ll talk to them and work it out.” The crimson eyed vampire cut off Keith, their eyes locking as if something was being said between the two. Even with Lance so close, he couldn’t figure out what was going on, but he felt something… strange. It was almost as if he could feel the discomfort and panic seeping off of Keith, his own heart picking up pace with the sudden feeling. “Bring your friend over here.” 

Hunk was reluctant at first, but still he scoped Pidge off of the kitchen floor and walked over to the couch where he laid them, Shiro moving to where Hunk had placed his friend and knelt beside the limp figure. All were silent as a hand was placed upon Pidges forehead, Shiro closing his eyes as he took a deep breath and focused for a moment. “Wake.”

Pidge flung themselves up with a scream, hands a flurry as they tried to attack whatever might have knocked them down, even though it was a vampire who shushed her. “What the hell?” They erupted once they finally gained control of themselves, sitting up on the couch and looking around the room. “Who are you?” Pidge was quick of course to notice the two strangers. “What happened to Lance?” 

“These are the good vampires.” Hunk spoke softly as he stepped towards the couch and Shiro away, back towards Lance and Keith. “The guy before was a bad one, I guess.” Hazel eyes looked to the vampires, who both nodded with that statement. “We need to get Lance somewhere safe.”

Pidge was almost immediate to stand up from the couch, a little wobbly at first, but managed to make their way to where Keith held Lance, the vampire a little repensive at first with how close they were getting. The friend didn’t even seem to notice or care as they reached a small, gentle hand towards the boys head, fingers running through brown locks, a comforting motion. “What have you gotten us into Lance?”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello! I'm sorry it's been a hot minute, my boyfriend and I have been sucked into the void of ark and I've been able to write a paragraph here and there. But I finally finished the chapter today and I give it to you! Little more friend time and a little more pain time ;) 
> 
> Hope you enjoy the read! No beta so I apologize for spelling/grammar issues!

It was difficult getting Lance out of the apartment and into the car downstairs, every movement sending a reminder of all the glass still stuck in his skin. Pidge and Hunk must have followed in a car behind them, as him and Keith seemed to take up the whole back seat. He was sitting, leaning with his back against the amber eyed vampires chest, the boy shivering as he felt his body temperature drop with all the blood he’s lost. Lance had no idea where the vampires were taking him, but he trusted them at this point, so he let his conscious slip in and out as street lamps flickered above him. 

Not a lot of time passed though before the car slowed down before stopped, Lance being slowly pulled out of the car by Keith and carried inside, tucking his head into the crook of the vampires neck as tears welled in his eyes. His body fucking hurt and the only thing seeming to comfort him was the feeling of soft skin against his cheek and the scent of campfire and cinnamon seeping off of the vampires neck. 

Rapid knocks on a wooden door pulled his attention in front of them though, watching as Shiro stood beside a large wooden pillar, another one on his other side supporting a small roof that covered them. He took notice of the small porch area, colorful pots with just as colorful plants and geode stones handing from the ceiling. 

When the door creaked open, Hunk and Pidge finally stood behind Keith who was holding Lance still, all eyes moving to the door to see who they were about to intrude on. 

“Allura?” The trio spoke, startling the other three with the sudden outburst. 

“Why are we at our managers house?” Pidge asked, stepping around Keith and closer to the front porch. 

Hunk followed, but was a little quieter in his shock. “Hi, Allura. Um… lovely evening.” 

“Shiro.” Allura spoke, voice thin as violet eyes met crimson. “What are you doing here? With them?” The last part was a little hushed, but they were all still able to hear it. 

“I’m sorry Allura, I didn’t know where else to go.” Shiro spoke, turning his attention back to the white haired women who stood firmly in her doorway, a white and golden robe pulled around her body, the silky fabric seeming to reflect a small amount of the light from inside her house. “I knew you could help.” 

There was a look of annoyance on the womens face, but after letting out a breath she opened up the door more and stepped aside. “Alright, come on then.” She spoke almost reluctantly, but everyone quickly filed in, Keith being careful as he carried Lance through the doorway. “Set him down over here.” Her voice returned to a softer tone once they were inside, the women ushering them deeper into the house before Lance was set on something cold and hard. 

“You’re not going to operate on me… are you? I didn’t know you have a… Phd.” Lance tried to joke as he watched Allura move around him and grab a variety of things. That’s when he took notice of what she was grabbing. Gems, crystals, candles and feathers, all items sending confusion running through his mind. 

“No Lance, I’m not a doctor. I’m a witch.” Allura spoke as if she was discussing the weather, stirring up another reaction from Lance, Pidge and Hunk. “I know, but it’s not like that’s something you tell everybody.” She defends herself as she sets a candle at each corner of the table Lance laid upon.

“So you’re going to use your… witch power to help Lance?” Hunk asked, hazel eyes narrowing as if he was trying to process everything that was happening right now. Fingers then pointed between Shiro and Allura. “And how do you two know each other.” 

The witch and vampire exchanged looks before Allura went back to setting up Lance, leaving Shiro to answer. “Witches have a keen sense for the supernatural. I was walking through town to make sure there were no rouges when I got attacked. She came out of nowhere and helped me. But she made me promise not to tell anyone of what she was.” 

“Which this technically breaks.” Allura snaps at the vampire, setting different crystals around the table in a methodical manner. “But I’m letting it slide because this is Lance.”

The blue eyed boy was vaguely aware of the conversation happening above him, consciousness beginning to slip more and more. “Whatever you’re going to do, do it.” Keith voice bit out, a mix of panic and anger not seeping into his words but into Lance’s chest, the boy feeling what the vampire would be. How much blood had he lost?

“You cannot rush it.” The white hair women bit back as she pulled her hair up and rolled her sleeve to her elbows. “This is a slow process, but after a moment he will go numb and it’s just a waiting game.” Allura seemed to collect herself as she stood at Lance’s side, her whole set up seeming complete. “It does start out very painful though, are you ready for that?” 

Blue eyes focused on violet ones despite how much concentration it took from Lance in order to meet her eyes. “If you can fix me… with whatever witch power you have… do it.” 

Allura only nodded before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, hands hovering just inches above Lance’s abdomen. “Sana.” The women breathed out, eyes fluttering beneath shut lids as the gems all around the boys body began to glow and tremble slightly, a soft purple encasing Allura’s hands and spreading across Lance’s body. It felt like nothing at first, the light seeming to be just that, light.

After only a moment, Lance began screaming, body jerking violently as fire spread all throughout his body, the feeling of glass slowly being pulled from his skin torturous. Skin was being pulled in every direction, sharp, jagged edges making themselves known as they slowly tore back through his skin. It felt like forever before his fingertips and toes started to buzz, a numbing sensation sweeping through him like a storm as tears fell down his cheeks he hadn’t realized formed. His body was too numb to be able to wipe at it, his mind so foggy from the pain that he couldn’t even properly tell his mind to raise his arm. Lance felt like he was drifting encased in purple light, the luminescence gentle now as he felt like time drifted with him.

“Lance.” A voice whispered above him, causing eyes to flutter open and lock with amber ones looking down at him. “How do you feel?” Keith asks, his face showing that he wanted to ask more but held back. 

“Numb.” He replied honestly, the word barely a breath as even his vocal cords could hardly formulate the word. Every fiber in him felt tired, everything seeming to catch up with him now, be it physically or mentally, Lance was taking a toll. The blue eyed boy wanted nothing more then to curl up in bed and sleep this all away, but he knew that wouldn’t happen so easily for him. Not anymore. 

Voices spoke above him, and Lance wasn’t sure if they were directed towards him or not, but he could only focus on the amber eyes that stared down at him, a strange expression hidden within them. His chest felt empty, like a deep hollow kind of feeling, and Lance couldn’t help but think that was how Keith felt looking down at him. Helpless, lost, unable to do anything. All emotions and feelings Lance has had himself but… never like this. They didn’t feel like his emotions, they felt fabricated, not fake but copied. Of course the boy brushed it off as soon as amber eyes were off of his and he seemed to be lost in the purple light once again. 

As he came to fully, Lance noticed he was no longer on a table, but was laid in a bed. A moment later he realized his clothes had been changed out for clean ones, these clothes not having holes and tears in them like his were sure to have after being thrown in glass. Annoyance picked at Lance’s mind as he tried to get up from the bed, but just as quickly fell to the floor, his body not ready to carry his weight yet. 

“Lance? You awake?” Hunk’s voice spoke, though muffled. He must have been on the other side of some door, the blue eyed boy not taking the time to examine his room. 

“I think!” Lance calls back, voice hoarse as he grabbed the bed, using weak muscles to pull himself back onto it. The boy waited, but after a moment realized that his friend would wait until granted access. “Come in Hunk.” 

The door slowly creaked open to reveal a shy looking Hunk, the honey eyed boy walking into the room with Pidge following behind, shutting the door quietly behind them. “Hey man, how are you feeling?” Hunk asked in a very gentle voice, obviously trying to be careful with the boy, which Lance appreciated of course. 

“Weak.” He answered honestly, that being the first word coming to mind in relation to how he felt. Rolling his neck and stretching his muscles made another word come to mind. “Sore.”

Hunk sat next to Lance on the bed, Pidge deciding to stand in front of the two, one arm crossed over their chest grabbing the other arm. “Allura said you would probably be sore after everything.” The honey eyed boy said, blue eyes meeting them. “Whatever she did… saved your life.” 

“Who would have thought our manager was a witch?” Pidge seems to say under their breath, hazel eyes flickering between the two. “I mean I guess she had the aesthetic but actually a witch?” 

Hunk shrugs his shoulders while Lance nods, completely agreeing with his smaller friend. “At the same time, we have met a variety of vampires.” Hunk points out, making the whole supernatural thing for Allura seem a little less shocking, but at the same time it was their manager. That was a little weird. 

“She knew that one vampire! He brought us here.” Pidge points out, just barely above a whisper as they seem to get a little tense. “What if this is all some crazy-.” 

“Pidge, it’s not.” Lance finally speaks, eyes closed as he took a deep breath. “There’s something much bigger going on here that we have no knowledge on.” He continues, remembering how many times he felt lost when vampire matters would come up. “The way they fight, the way they live… it’s completely different than us.” 

“And you’re just some expert on vampires now?” Pidge commented, hands being placed on hips in a defensive matter. 

Lance rolls his eyes. “No Pidge, I just said we have no knowledge, me included.” The boy responds, only slightly annoyed with Pidge’s attitude. Of course, it came with reason. “I’m saying that we don’t understand the depth of what's happening. Have you ever heard of Daibazaal?” The blue eyed boy asks, wanting to share his new knowledge. 

Hunk and Pidge exchange a look before looking back to Lance, as if ready to hear what he was talking about. When they both shook their heads, Lance continued. “It was a small town a couple hours away from here, and I say was on purpose. The main bad guy here, Zarkon I think, he destroyed the town in a night, cut off their communication with the world and basically turned it into his own little blood farm. Now, there’s no mention of Daibazaal.” 

“A vampire did that?” Pidge asks, one eyebrow raised with suspicion. 

Lance nodded. “I mean, not just him. He had an army of vampires who were more than happy to take over a town for food supply. Only a few months ago they ran out of people and are looking for the next small, secluded town to take over.”

“Altea.” Hunk added in, his voice hollow from whatever fear or panic he felt in that moment. “They’re coming for Altea.” 

Once again, the blue eyed boy nodded, feeling dread as he caught his friends up to speed. “Shiro and Keith, they took me away from town because I was being attacked multiple times, and then Zarkon showed up at my apartment.” 

“What?” Both of his friends erupted, looks of shock on their face. “You actually met the guy?” Pidge was wide eyed while Hunk looked pale. 

“This guy radiated power.” Lance commented, remember how it felt to see the vampire standing in his bedroom. “Shiro and Keith… they were almost powerless to him. They only reason he didn’t kill us was because some lady came by last second to escort him away.” And of course, the boy left out the part about Zarkon mentioning Lance not being of this earth. “That’s when they took me to meet some other vampires, all who were trying to fight Zarkon's tyranny.”

“So this guy is some vampire lord?” Hunk asks, giving his full attention to Lance. “Who was the guy that broke into Pidge’s apartment?” 

“Yeah!” Pidge suddenly chimes in, looking mad if anything. “I’m need to figure out who the bill for that is going to.”

A sort of chuckle leaves Lance at that, even with it being the most inappropriate time. “I don’t think you’re going to be able to send a bill to this guy Pidge.” The boy says, leaning back on his arms and slouching his back. “I’m pretty sure he was Zarkon's son.”

“Like, actual son?” Hunk asks, confusion on his face. “Can vampire have babies?”

“I mean Bella did in Twilight.” Lance mentions, almost to himself as he remembered the strange vampire book. 

That received a look from both Pidge and Hunk. “You’re kidding right?” Pidge asks, arms still crossed. “First off, that’s a book, and second, they sparked in the sunlight! Do these assholes sparkle?” 

“Not that I’ve seen.” Lance replies, feeling a little silly now that he tried to make that connection. “Then again, I don’t ever see them during the day because they’re hidden away sleeping.” Once again, he was not going to mention how he watched Keith stand in the sun for moment before it started to burn him. Was that a Keith thing or a vampire thing?

“Do they climb on trees like monkeys?” Hunk asked, looking a little too serious.

“What? No!” Lance responded a little shaken. “No they don’t climb trees like monkeys, we’ve already decided Twilight is a bad representation of vampires.” The blue eyed boy uses his arms to dismiss the issue. “Any more questions should be directed towards the actual vampires.”

“Lance.” Pidge says his name a little to pointed, blue and honey meeting. “You’re the one who knows them, you think they’ll answer any of our questions?”

The blue eyed boy didn’t hesitate to nod. “I’m not sure about Keith, but I know Shiro will answer your questions. He was really good about it when I had a zillion.” Lance speaks honestly, looking down at his hands as his mind reels. “I mean, I still have more questions.” If not about vampires, then about himself.

“They should still be awake.” Hunk says as he checks his phone. “Maybe we should go downstairs and talk to them. Especially Allura.”

Pidge nods, looking between Hunk and Lance. “Do you think she knew about Shiro and Keith hiding you? I mean, during your time MIA she didn’t seem too worried.” Lance must have looked offended. “I mean, not like she didn’t seem worried at all! She did, but it was almost… fake.”

“Yeah, I remember that.” Hunk added in with a nod of his head. “Is anything, it was like she was preoccupied with something else.”

“Maybe Shiro told Allura that I was with them.” Lance commented, holding a hand to his chin. “Since they seemed to know each other before.” 

“How would he know you worked for Allura though?” Hunk asked, pulling two pairs of eyes on him. 

Lance had to think for a moment before he remembered. “They knew I worked at the cafe. That’s where I was first attacked.” There was something he had yet to mention to his friends. “I was there when Iris died.”

“What?” Hunk and Pidge piped up, both surprised with this new information. 

“The night Iris died, I was working at the cafe, I heard the commotion outside. By the time I got out there I was too late, a vampire had already gotten to her, but when the vampire came to attack me, Keith came in and stopped him.” 

His friends were quiet for a moment, and it honestly scared Lance. “So, you knew from the beginning?”

“No! No, after that night, Keith wiped my memories.” Lance defended himself, not wanting his friends to think he was lying to them for longer then he had to. “I was having weird dreams about it, plus that’s why I suggested vampires as a joke. Then I was attacked again and Keith came to save me… again.”

“What a knight in shining armor.” Pidge jokes, a playful spark in their eyes. 

“Shut up Pidge.” Lance reacted a little too quickly, ears turning red as he began thinking about the amber eyed vampire. 

“Are you blushing?” Hunk asked, a gleeful expression coming upon his face. 

This was bad. “No! I’m not! It’s just hot in here!” Lance couldn’t help but yell as he panicked, his two friends knowing him a lot better than he wished. 

A look was exchanged between hazel and honey, and Lance knew he was fucked. “You like the vampire boy, don’t you?” Pidge asked in a mocking tone.

“We are not getting into this right now.” Lance seemed to seeth, voice low as he remembered, or at least thought, vampires had really good hearing. Plus, those feelings were ones he had been trying to ignore for a minute, the situation seeming like a bad one to be getting a crush. Because he wasn’t. 

Both of his friends grinned as they looked at him. “So there’s something to get into?”

“Oh my god!” Lance exclaimed, throwing himself into the pillows and burying his face. He could hear his friends snickering, probably giving each others thumbs up as the boys whole face went red. Lance did not want to admit there was feelings blossoming for the amber eyed vampire, this was not the time or place to have them. Not with vampires running around and killing people. This would have to be pushed off until later, but how long would that be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot movement to come next chapter, hopefully I have it up in a few days! 
> 
> Thank you everyone for all the support, especially jahzmean, starlight808, lie17, and OtakuLina who comments on almost every chapter as well as saerwenn who made an amazing fanart for the story (check it out here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BtluD1ogQuz/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet) 
> 
> I read comments every morning and they always make me smile! Please keep up the support :) 
> 
> Thank you against everyone for comments/kudo/bookmarks! Like I always say, it makes me so damn happy that all of you are enjoying my fic and it means so much to me to share it with you all!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH I'm sorry it's been much longer than I wanted, but things have been heating up here and I haven't been able to concentrate. I wanted to do more with this chapter but I couldn't figure out what, sooo I finished it off where it was, therefore it's a little on the shorter side. I'm sorry for that! I love giving you guys longer chapters. Hopefully the next one is!! 
> 
> Thank you for all the continued support :) It means the world to me!!!!
> 
> I apologize for grammar/spelling errors, no betas!

It took a while before the trio made their way out of the small bedroom and down the stairs where the other three were. Keith sat on a very comfy looking white leather couch while Shiro helped Allura keep up what Lance could assume was the mess made from healing him. As they reached the small living room, crystals were set around the small space and different ornaments hung from the ceiling really gave off that witchy vibe to the whole house. No wonder he’s never been here, her house is a dead giveaway. 

“Are you feeling better Lance?” Allura asks as she notices them walking in, Hunk and Pidge following shortly behind the blue eyed boy. 

Lance nodded, looking over to what he assumed to be the table he was set on, a little blood still staining the wood on the ground and table itself. “I’m sorry I bled all over your house.” The boy says, feeling like that should be something he apologized for, despite the fact it wasn’t his idea to come here nor could he control his blood, but still. 

“Oh please, I’ve had Shiro bleed on my floor many more times than you.” She spoke a playful voice as she eyed the vampire, the white tuff of his head pulled back as if too keep it out of his eyes. 

“Hey!” Shiro protests. “That’s not something you just tell people.” He says, arms crossing over his chest. 

The white haired women only laughed before turning her attention back to Lance. “Tell me Lance, are you still in pain?”

When the question was asked, blue eyes spotted a head of black hair looking up. “Not too much, it’s mostly sore I guess.” Lance answers, using a hand to run fingers across his forearm, a strange feeling sweeping over him as he remembered the feeling of glass sticking out of him. He was slightly startled when he heard Keith clear his throat from the couch.

“Here.” Allura moved towards him with something in hand, as as she got closer he saw the small mug hidden in her palms. “This should help with the soreness.” She said, handing it off to the boy, the warmth of the mug instantly seeping into his hands. 

Lifting the mug to his nose, he smelt honey, mint, and lavender, all mixing with the steam making him hum. “Wow, what is this?” Lance asks just before taking a sip, not waiting for the women answer.

“It’s tea that will relax your muscles. You should sit before it really takes effect.” Allura says as she places a hand on the boys shoulder and leads him over to the couch Keith was sitting on, helping the boy lower himself. He sank down like the cushions absorbed him, holding the tea close to his face, the smell and steam wafting from it helping him feel much more relaxed. 

The house fell quiet again as Allura walked over to the kitchen where Shiro moved, Hunk and Pidge sitting down on the other chairs in the small living space. “So…” Pidge held out, a few pairs of eyes moving to them while others stayed averted. “Witches and vampires? Anything else we should know about?” Hunk nodded in agreement with the question. 

“Um… I suppose, although there’s not a lot near Altea.” Allura finally says, walking back into the living room and standing in front of the small group, Shiro behind her. “I know there’s pod of mermaids down south from the beach, but they don’t bother anyone really.”

“Wait, mermaids are a thing?” Lance asked, sitting up from the couch a little too excitedly. 

Allura nods, seemingly unaffected by the outburst. “Werewolves too, but there are no packs for hundreds of miles. The closest pack I know are then Hales, but they have their own problems to deal with from what I heard last.” She continues, a finger coming up to her chin as she thinks. “Hunters too, but unfortunately they’re as unorganized as the supernatural are as a whole, so there are good and bad hunters.” 

“Werewolves and hunters? Don’t tell me trolls are living under the bridges too.” Lance almost whines out, the boy never really thinking that other supernatural creatures must exist if vampires do. “Are unicorns real?”

“Lance.” Pidge and Hunk both say with slight annoyance, hazel eyes rolling as honey ones were looking to blue. A soft chuckle from his left pulled blue eyes to amber ones, the vampire instantly clearing his throat as if he was caught. 

“Now, I understand that there are many questions, but I don’t have all the answers.” Allura responds to Lances questions with a soft smile. It was really nice that she seemed to understand the awe and wonder that the three were feeling, all fueled by the crazy situation they were in. 

“Do vampires and werewolves really hate each other?” Pidge asks first, as if taking the women up on her unspoken offer. 

Shiro answers the question though. “Not completely, or at least not every pack and clan have issues.” He explains, taking a seat on a wooden stool near the others. “It’s more so the pure-blood vampires that have issues with werewolves, seeming as they also have problems with their own species if they’re not pure.”

“What?” Hunk and Pidge both made sounds of confusion, not completely caught up with all the lingo and information given to Lance. 

“Purebloods, they’re vampires who were born of fully blooded vampires. Keith and I were turned by purebloods. There’s a lot of different types of vampires, like how there are different types of witches.” Shiro answers, finger tapping against his knee as he talked, almost like a nervous tick. His last sentence though moved focus to Allura.

She throws a look at Shiro, as if that was not something she did not want to talk about. Still, it seemed like he was sharing a lot of information, it would only be fair for her to share just as much. “Yes, there are different types, but only four.” Allura says after turning her attention back to the group. “It depends on what season the witch was born in, be it winter, spring, summer or fall, and each season has their own set of abilities.” 

“What kind of witch are you?” Hunk asks, intrigued by all this new information. 

“Spring. I posses powers of healing and growth, which is why I was able to help you Lance.” Allura responds, almost uncomfortable with talking about herself. They were all new, except for Shiro and Keith, so it was mostly understandable. “My mother was a witch of the summer, so her powers were those of illusions and deceit.”

“What about fall and winter?” Lance asks, also intrigued by this information.

Allura took a breath but continued. “Fall witches are known for their ability to control the mind and make humans do whatever they desire, and winter witches have the power of destruction and ice. Winter witches are the rarest and most power, where as spring witches like myself are plentiful.” The white haired women finished as she looked around the room. 

“Is that why witches are known for healing and mixing herbal potions?” Lance asks, connecting the last bit of information with knowledge he thought he already had on witches. When the women nods, the boy just hums, sitting back in his chair and thinking. This was a lot more information then he was ready to handle. 

“There’s something else Lance.” Allura says gently, blue eyes moving back to hers. Lance noticed Shiro also moved his attention to the women, grabbing her arm and attention. “What?”

“Are you sure now is a good time to tell him?” Shiro asks under his breath, but the others in the room were able to hear it, almost all of them, minus Keith, leaning in as if to hear better. 

When violet and crimson eyes looked to Lance, he felt his face heat up. “What are you guys whispering about over there?” He asks, not wanting to clearly give away how anxious he was. What else could there be to tell?

Allura only nods at Shiro before looking back to Lance. “Listen to me and listen to me well Lance. You are not human.” The women starts, making blue eyes going wide, mouth slightly ajar as if he wanted to say something but could not. 

“Is he a vampire too?” Hunk asks, face showing clear confusion. 

“Or a witch?” Pidge adds in, hazel eyes going wide. 

“Lance in an angel.” Allura answers, her words slow and drawn out as if making sure every single one was heard. Violet eyes looked around the room at the arrangement of faces, mostly confused and shocked, others disbelief. 

The blue eyed boy sits forward. “My mom would disagree with you.” 

Allura rolls violet eyes as she lets out a breath. “She actually would not, she is also aware that you are an angel.” 

Silence once again fills the room, Lance mostly stunned that his defensive comeback was met with more shocking information. His mind could hardly process what she said, visions of a heavenly figure with white wings plastered across his eyes as the word angel rang in his head. Angel. Angel? That’s not right. “That’s not right.” Lance said out loud, not knowing that he did so. 

“Like… from heaven?” Keith whispers, his voice weak as it was pointed towards Allura. 

“In a sense. See, the thing is no one really knows about the angels or where they came from. They’re not like angels in religious sense, more like spiritual. Angels don’t take forms, they’re beings of light and life, as ancient as the oldest human ancestors and have very little known about them.” Allura explains, sitting on the arm rest next to where Lance was sitting. “It was known to a few in the area that an angel would be hidden within Altea, and for reasons we weren’t told.” 

Lance looks up to the women, blue eyes full with an unexplainable emotion. “What about my parents? My mom?” 

“Physically they are your parents, blood and body. Your soul on the other hand was not pieced together by your parents, but rather given to you by the angels.” The women tried to answer, but it seemed her response made the boy only more confused. 

“So he’s a human with an angel soul?” Pidge asks, the first words of theirs being spoken in a while. 

Allura nods. “Yes, since angels don’t have physical forms, one had taken residence in your body before your own soul could form.” 

“So he has another person's soul in him? Is he Lance or that person?” Hunk finally speaks too, asking something that had also crossed Lances mind. 

With that question, Allura was at a loss. “From what I know,” she finally started, “a new angel souls was given to you, so this personality you have and all your quirks are yours Lance. You are you, no one else.” 

“Just with an angels soul as opposed to a humans?” Keith asks, his voice slightly louder then the last time he spoke. The vampire was still sunk into the couch as opposed to the others who seemed to be leaning forward as they spoke. 

Once again, Allura nods. “Your parents were made aware of the situation but were also given bare knowledge.” She explains, adjusting herself on the armrest. “Your mother was able to seek me out and ask for guidance, so I helped her the best I could.”

“So… my mom knows about angels, more specifically about me being… an angel.” It felt very strange for Lance to say such a thing, as if he were talking about a character as opposed to talking about himself. The blue eyed boy wanted to say more, but he was still in shock, absorbing the information and slowly processing it. 

It took another moment of silence before anyone spoke up. “Are there more?” Hunk asked, honey eyes looking somewhat hopeful. 

Allura shakes her head, clearly not wanting to diminish that hope. “Angels are impossibly rare, especially since they hold no physical form, plus there are not many cases were an angel lives within a human body, none that I know of.” The witch finishes, playing with the ends of her long white hair. She had looked just as upset as Hunk.

“So… this is a first?” Keith asks, Lance looking over to the amber eyed boy that sat next to him. Their eyes locked. “There’s not others like him.”

“Exactly.” Allura responds, although blue and red were not looking her way. “That’s why this is such a new experience for everyone. I personally don’t know any witches who have met angels, let alone a human-angel.” The woman continues, looking around the room at all those who have gathered. “That’s also why he’s in grave danger.”

“What?” Four voices sounded at once, only Shiro and Allura already having come to this conclusion. “Wait, is that why the other vampires want him so badly?” Pidge asked, one elbow on her knee while the other arm extended towards Lance. 

Once again, Allura nods. “Not only vampires, but witches, werewolves, any creatures who would benefit from blood will want him.” She says rather grimly. A sickening feeling rising in Lance’s stomach at the words. No wonder Zarkon and Lotor were so creepy around him, and that’s probably why Keith had such a hard time controlling himself. Angel blood runs through his veins. 

That does a lot more bad than good.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's late but I just finished this chapter and wanted to give it to you all as soon as possible!! :) It feels so good to be writing again after falling out of the passion for almost a year, and all of you are truly making it an amazing experience to get back into writing! I'm so glad to be sharing my work with you all, and I hope you all continue to enjoy it!
> 
> Thank you so much everyone! You all mean so much!!! :)
> 
> I apologize for spelling/grammar errors, no betas!

The ground was moist where Lance sat, grass tickling exposed parts of his legs and hands that rested upon it. Night was still daunting as ever, even with various string and fairy lights hung up around Allura’s back patio to offer illumination, the darkness still crept up to the edge of property. Lance sat there and watched it, as if waiting for something to form from the darkness and leap at him, but the night was still. 

Allura assured them that her house was under a protection and they had no need to worry. Pidge of course was suspicious at first, the youngest friend obviously still shaken from the earlier, and Hunk stayed with them for comfort reasons. Lance on the other hand decided he needed some fresh air and decided to sit outside, despite everyone's protests besides Allura. She assured once again that he would be fine as he didn’t cross the barrier, which was marked by small gray stones embedded in the ground, creating a large circle around the witch's house and surrounding area. The blue eyed boy sat a few feet from a few of the stones, unfocused eyes still watching the tree line and waited. 

Shuffling from behind him made his panic spike, the boy not rationally thinking about who it could be and immediately assuming the worst. The steps stopped at once, rather abruptly to be honest, and was followed by a quick breath. Lance wasn’t too quick to check and see who it was.

“I’m sorry.” Keith spoke when blue met red, amber eyes wide with what almost looked like guilt. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” The vampire says again, voice shy almost as he stands a little bit away from Lance. “You’ve been out here a while.”

“Really?” The boy asks, a little surprised by the statement. “I… Wow.” Lance spoke, feeling like he had come out her only about fifteen or so minutes ago. “How long?” 

Keith began approaching again, the shuffling picking up as his feet brushed against thick blades of grass before the vampire stood next to Lance. There was an awkward moment, as if Keith wasn’t sure if he should sit down or not, amber eyes averting from blue ones as he finally began his descent to the ground. “An hour or so. Sunrise is only a couple hours away.” The vampire finally says, pulling knees to his chest. 

Even without vampire powers, Lance could sense there was something more picking at Keith, and it didn’t take long for Lance to figure it out. “Do you think me being… Do you think that’s why?” He asked, skirting around saying the exact words, whether it be for his sake for the sake of others hearing. 

Amber eyes were pulled to blue at that, Keith looking rather surprised that Lance was able to decipher what he was thinking. Luckily, he didn’t dwell on it. “Maybe… But would that affect your blood? Your body is human, isn’t it?” 

Something flashed across Lance’s face, skin going rather pale as blue eyes widened slightly. “Your body was human at one point, wasn’t it?” The boys question was asked in a low voice, as if it was a secret of some sort.

Keith responded at first with equal wide eyes, a shot of pain going off inside of Lance’s chest as he watched what had to be the same feeling flash across those same amber eyes. “At one point.” The vampire says in an equally low voice, only his words sounded much more hollow. “But not anymore.” The boy averted his eyes, choosing to look at a fascinating patch of dead grass rather then Lance. 

For some reason, those words struck something deep inside of Lance’s chest, pain and guilt washing up in waves as he watched the vampire next to him. “I want to know about your past.”

Amber eyes shot up to blue, a mixture of confusion, anger, fear, and something Lance couldn’t describe flooded red eyes as Keith looked to him. It was as if the vampire was an emotions radio and Lance was a receiver, picking up every feeling that came across the vampire in front of him. All those emotions that took over Keith’s eyes quickly had a hold on Lance, the boy feeling strange and devastated. What the hell was happening?

“Why?” Keith simply asked, as if not wanting to let anything else slip as amber and blue stayed focused on one another. Fear moved between then, the feeling making Lance’s stomach churn. 

Still, the boy managed to take in a breath. “I don’t know.” Lance answered honestly, receiving a look of confusion from Keith. “Because I know nothing of my own. Not really. I mean I know my past but...” The words were hollow yet true, the boy feeling lost after learning of what he was. What he is. 

It was as if Keith had wanted to say something, but instead he stopped, taking in a breath and closing his eyes. “What do you want to know?” The vampire asks quietly, eyes still closed.

“What was your family like?” Of course he would ask about this first, as Lance was always involved with his own family and wondered what kind of upbringing Keith had. So far he had only heard one story about getting a Christmas tree with his family, which Lance will never forget how happy the vampire looked when talking about it.

Keith let out a sigh, extending legs into the grass and planting hands behind him so he could support himself with his arms. “I don’t remember.” The vampire answered after a quiet moment, yet he words made Lance sit up more, a look of confusion. “It’s been a couple hundred years since I was with my family… and I was only seven when I was taken…”

Even though Lance stayed quiet, he couldn’t help but made a small sound of surprise. Taken when he was seven? By who? Keith looked like he was in his late teens, maybe really twenties, so it’s not like he was turned into a vampire when he was seven. Lance wanted to know more, but he wasn’t ready to scare the vampire away with his plethora of questions. Honestly, he was surprised Keith was even answering his questions at all. “Is there really nothing?” He asks, letting the words quietly slip out.

As blue eyes looked over to the vampire, amber eyes focused on the forest in front of them, trees sprouting high in the sky, the trunk loaded with branches and leafs that made it hard to see very far into the woods. “We lived in a small village in Texas.” Keith begins with a low voice, as if not wanting anyone else to hear. Lance even leaned in slightly. “It was only my dad, my mom and me. I remember there being cows and horses in the fields around the house, so we probably lived on a Ranch or something. My mom was always out with him in the fields, I stayed at home a lot…” The vampire goes quiet for a moment before amber eyes moved to blue. “I do remember riding on horses with my dad, he wore a cowboy hat, but not ironically like people do today.” 

“You dad was a real cowboy, huh?” Lance asked, a grin spreading across his face as he thought about baby Keith on horseback living in the wild Texas. For some reason, it almost seemed right that he was from there. 

“Yeah…” Keith lets his voice veer off as he looked back to the woods. “My mom took care of the house and us, but she was an even better rancher then my dad. I remember people in the village looked up to her.” It was surprising that the vampire was still going, and Lance was eating up every last bit of it. “My mom wanted to teach me to fight, I remember hearing them argue about it one night.” 

“Argue?” Lance pipes up, unable to hold back his curiosity and need to say something. The boy quickly shut his mouth and covered it with his hands. 

The vampire nodded, not seeming bothered with the way Lance interrupted. “My dad thought I was still too young, that I wouldn’t be able to handle it. My mom thought I was ready, as she began learning at my age.” Keith moved to bring his legs in, crossing them before leaning forward and using legs to support his arms, fingers draping at both of his outer thighs. “I was surprised when my mom actually backed down, but then again my dad said something to her that I never heard… that’s what made her stop.” Lance could feel the dread and agony seeping out of Keith. His heart stung when amber eyes met blue, those same feelings welling up inside red orbs. “Why am I telling you this?”

Blue eyes went wide, race heating up as Lance was suddenly the focus, the question also making his chest tighten. He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I don’t know. Do I make you feel comfortable… or safe?” It was odd asking, Lance honestly wasn’t even sure why he asked, but he knew that was how he felt when they were together. At the lodge, in Pidges apartment, and even now, Lance just felt safe with Keith, he felt comfortable. 

An expression crossed the vampires face, almost like shock or realization, amber eyes staying focused on blue, despite the way the gaze flickered between two blue orbs. The expression quickly changed to disbelief, mouth opening as if to speak, but only a breath was passed as Keith looked at Lance. “You do.” The vampire finally said, pulling amber eyes away and back to the forest. “I like talking to you. It’s weird.”

Lance laughs, unexpectedly of course, and pulls amber eyes back to him. “Why does it have to be weird?” 

“Because I don’t talk to people. I don’t really talk to Shiro.” Keith confesses, gaze moving back to the forest, as if he was feeling weird right now. “But I like talking to you.” 

“I like hearing you talk.” Lance says without thinking, amber eyes snapping to his, making him realize what he just said. Red creeps up his cheeks until his whole face is scarlet. “I-I meant like I like hearing about your past and listening to you kind of thing.” The boy rushes out, feeling like a complete idiot for letting that slip out. It’s not like he liked hearing the vampires voice. Nope. Definitely not. Maybe. What?

Keith just looks at Lance with a gentle expression, one that the blue eyed boy was not expecting. He could swear he also saw some kind of smile pull at the vampires lips. “There’s not anything else though. Like I said, I don’t remember much about my past.” 

“What about after you got taken?” Lance asked, instantly regretting it as that gentle expression turned much colder, as if he was trying to shut off his expressions so his emotions wouldn’t come across. Still, Lance could feel emotions pass through them like before, with fear, despair, and rage stirred together. “I-I’m sorry-.”

“They destroyed my village…” Keith cut the boy off, blue eyes going wide as much hung open. It was even more surprising when the vampire continued. “Zarkon and his vampires came to our village and killed everyone… except for the children. We were all taken.” Keith stops, whether it be for himself or for Lance to take in what he said it. “They used us as meals, drinking from us but not killing us, making sure we could replenish our blood before drinking from us again. It was their own farm.” The vampires voice was low as he spoke, fingers pulling grass from the ground absently. “I was there for years… Zarkon favored me for some reason, I still don’t know why. He already had Shiro at that point, so when he turned me I wasn’t completely alone.” 

“How long were you there?” Lance asked, unsure as to why he asking and not just letting the boy continue. 

Still, Keith replied. “Almost eleven years. It wasn’t by choice that Zarkon turned me, but in order to save my life. Another vampire had gone too far and nearly killed me, Zarkon killed that vampire and turned me. After that… it was another few hundred years before Shiro and I left.” The vampire had fallen silent, fingers frozen in grass as red eyes were focused on the torn green. “More like escaped, but Zarkon never really came after us, or at least made us come back. He always knew where we were, that’s his thing. We could never run away from him, he’s simply letting us live where we want.” 

Lance didn’t know what to say, sitting there silently as blue eyes watched the vampire, eyes and chest stinging as every word was spoke. This poor boy, ripped away from his family and forced to live a horrible, cruel life. Fingers dug into the fabric of his jacket as he tried to keep himself calm. That didn’t seem to matter as he could see Keith sensing his tension building up underneath the boys skin.

“Come on blue eyes, don’t be getting so upset. It didn’t happen to you.” The vampire spoke casually, but it struck a cord deep within Lance. 

“But it happened to you!” The blue eyed boy yelled, moving from his sitting position to almost a kneeling one as he turned towards Keith. It was almost like all that tension, the anger and grief he felt just burst out of him. “How can I not get upset about it?” 

Keith looked shocked, amber eyes wide as the vampire had one arm up in between them as if to defend himself out of instinct, the other arm supporting his weight as he leaned away. Lips were apart, mouth hanging open and fangs becoming prevalent. As if at the perfect time the sky cleared, clouds passing to allow moonlight to flood the yard, Keith becoming illuminated with the silver light. Lance couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the vampire was in that moment, a ruby blush ghosting on pale cheeks. “It’s not like you knew me.” He spoke, voice barely a whisper. 

“I know you now Keith!” Lance responded with a sharp voice, not wanting to yell with the close proximity, but not wanting to lose the power to his voice. “Do you not get that? Just because I didn’t know you back then doesn’t mean anything!”

It was like Keith was in shock, staring back at blue eyes with wide amber ones, unable to form a reply or respond. The vampire simply couldn’t comprehend why Lance cared, and Lance couldn’t grasp that. Of course he would have feeling about what happened in Keith’s past! What kind of stupid thing to assume that he wouldn’t be affected by hearing about it. 

“I guess… I just never had anyone to care.” Keith admits, allowing himself to sit back in his regular position, legs pulled to his chest.

Lance gave the vampire an odd look. “What about Shiro?”

“He’s been with me through everything, he different. We’re both from the same sire, it makes us like brothers. But… I still can’t confide in him.” Keith almost sounded ashamed, Lance pulling himself back to sit in his legs, hands resting in his lap. “Shiro’s been dealing with his own pain, he doesn’t need mine too.” 

“I doubt he would feel the same.” The blue eyed boy wanted to reach out and comfort the vampire, but he didn’t want to ruin the moment or make it uncomfortable. He decided to keep his hands in his lap. 

Keith shook his head, fingers digging into the fabric of dark jeans. “No… Shiro had it worse than me. I can’t complain to him.”

Defeat was all Lance felt for a moment as he looked at the vampire, frame seeming small in the slowly dimming moonlight. “Then complain to me.” He blurt out, the sentence passing his ‘should I say this’ filter and flowing into the world. Red covers his face. 

Slowly, amber eyes meet blue ones, a look of disbelief on the vampires face. “Lance…” From the corner of his eye, the boy could swear he saw Keith’s hand move. 

“Keith! Lance!” A voice comes abruptly, shattering whatever atmosphere was surrounding them and bringing them back to the harsh reality of what was happening. Blue eyes look to the back door of Allura’s house, Hunk standing in the doorway. “Come inside! We’re about to talk!”

The words send shivers down Lance’s spine. What could they possibly be talking about now? He wasn’t sure he could handle anymore angel talk for the rest of the night. 

“It’ll be okay.” The words come to Lance from in front of him, blue eyes snapping back to a much gentler pair of amber ones. He could swear he felt his heart stutter within his chest. What a teenager. “We’re here for you.”

Lance smiled, something pulling at his chest as that was not the combination of words he wanted to hear, but still there was more to the way Keith looked at him. The vampire stood, Lance following shortly after and heading back inside, wiping off his ass so no grass would find it way inside. That and so Pidge wouldn’t make fun of him for having a grassy ass. 

When they entered the house, there was a complete atmosphere shift, an intense, determined aura seeming to fill the room and surround everyone in it. Lance was a little overwhelmed by it at first, coming from being in such a calm and little depressive state. Still, he took his seat in between Pidge and Hunk on the couch while Keith took residence in the stool next to Shiro. 

“How are you doing Lance?” Allura asks as she sits in a bean bag like chair across from the couch, hands resting on her crossed knees. The boy only nodding as he wasn’t really in the mood to speak, which was very unusual for Lance. The witch picked up on that, returning the nod and quickly changing the subject. “We’ve put together a plan as we need to get the five of you to the Blades of Luna as possible.” 

“Who?” Lance asks, leaning over to Pidge as the name went over his head.

“Apparently the group of vampires you were shacking it up with in the cabin.” Pidge teases, receiving a swift jab in the side that made them burst with a squeal. “Hey!”

“Sorry about that! Continue.” Lance brushes Pidge off, literally swatting away at their face as he looks to Allura.

A gentle smile passes her lips as she nods. “A few hours after sunrise we will take the five of you back out to the cabin where the Blades are currently hiding.” It was as if Allura knew Lance was about to ask. “Yes I said sunrise, as that will be the safest way to transport you all back to the cabin. Once you leave the barrier I’ve created around my home, Zarkon will be able to track you until you’ve reached the barrier surrounding the Blades. Vampires can easily outrun a car, but they can’t outrun the sun.”

“What about Shiro and Keith?” Lance asks, taking the chance to ask during Allura’s pause. She was more than likely going to get to that, but Lance was impatient. 

With a soft breath, Allura continued. “We will shroud them in blankets and covers as to limit the sun rays that get them, but even fabric can’t protect vampire skin. Luckily metal can, so as long as they are completely hidden by the metal, they should be fine. Meaning, Shiro and Keith will have to hide in the trunks of the cars while you drive back to the cabin.” 

“Are you not coming?” The blue eyed boy managed out again during a break, concern leaking into his words. 

“Not yet, I have to run the cafe today, since three of my best workers are currently missing.” The soft expression that had been on the womens face quickly sharpened, showing just how annoyed with this situation she was. “And now I have vampires sniffing around too, so I have to set more protections around the cafe as well.” 

All three of the friends felt the womens sting, guilt and shame filling the trio as if the women was punishing them, which in a sense she was. They hated being yelled at by Allura, because when she got scary, she got scary. “We’re sorry.” The trio spoke at once, as if they all were in sync when it came to this kind of thing. 

With a breath, the women seemed to calm. “Not to worry, this would have happened whether you had gotten involved or not. Since you are involved it makes it a little easier to keep an eye on you, but at the same time, it makes it a lot harder now that a vampire lord has his eyes on you.” The last part was pointed towards Lance, guilt instantly flooding him as he remembers all the times he’s had a runin with Zarkon. A few too many. “But again, he would have found you eventually as all powerful vampires are pulled to strong prey.” 

“That makes me feel great Allura.” Lance complained, pointing a glare at the women, only to receive one back. “So what do we do after we get there?”

“The Blades have that part of the plan already thought out.” Shiro steps in, seeming to take over when the conversation shifted more towards his territory. “They want to infiltrate an upcoming event held annually for still living royal vampires. It’s a ball of sorts, kind of like they’re reminiscing on the days vampires thrived, but Zarkon should be there, as he’s been to almost every ball that I can remember.”

“I remember those.” Keith’s voice comes out quietly, and it’s almost like Lance is the only one who heard it, blue eyes moving over to the vampire, a sad and empty feeling emitting from him, hitting Lance like harsh waves. The boy clings to the fabric of the couch to keep himself steady. 

“The Blades plan to launch an attack then, not only to take out Zarkon but as many royals as possible. Only the royals who pride themselves in the old ways attend the ball, so it’s going to be full of cold-blooded monsters.” The way Shiro spoke seemed a little cold itself, as if the vampire held a grudge towards these royal vampires, which he more than likely did. 

“You three as well as myself will be at the cabin during this, as it is the safest option.” Allura chimes in, as if sensing Lance was about to ask where they would be during this process. “If all goes according to plan, we can all return to life as usual in Altea as if nothing has happened.” 

Lance sat there with those words bouncing around in his head. It wasn’t his doing when blue met with amber. Life as usual? That seemed much too boring compared to now. “When do we start this plan then?” The blue eyed boy asked, moving irises to violet ones. 

Allura seemed a little surprised that Lance was just ready to follow the plan, not a lot of questions asked. “As I said, a few hours after sunrise. Shiro and Keith should rest now as well as the three of you, we have a long drive ahead of us.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its a beautiful day for a new chapter, isn't it? Hope you are all doing well and that this chapter adds a little more joy to your day :) Also! I do plan on wrapping the story up within the next 4-5 chapters as my focus is shifting to video game design as my boyfriend and I are going to make a game! So, I don't plan to abandon the story, but the curtains shall fall soon!
> 
> Until then, enjoy! :)
> 
> I apologize for spelling/grammar errors as there are no betas!

Lance was restless. No matter how he laid on the large couch, the boy could not find a position that would lull him to sleep. It might not have been the way he way trying to lay that was stopping him from sleeping, but rather the way his mind juggled thoughts and fears as he tossed and turned. At one point the blankets were so twisted around his legs that he couldn’t move them, and as he flailed to unwrap them, almost falling off the couch in the process. 

Once sun had risen the deal was over, Lance knew he was not going to get any shut eye and decided to get up, tossing the blanket over the couch and carefully stepped over Hunk who slept on a makeshift bed on the floor, while Pidge curled up in the large sofa chair with the blanket pulled over their head. Hunk also happened to have a pillow over his face, providing them shelter from the incoming sunlight. The blue eyed boy had the thought to expose them both to the sun as well, but he thought better of it as a soft snore came from Hunk. Lance’s friends deserved their rest. 

So he continued to sneak into the kitchen, trying to assess where the food might be. Anxiety picked at him with the thought of the cabinets creaking, giving their rather old appearance. The fridge might be just as bad, so he elected to go outside and enjoy the early morning air. 

Outside the air was still warming up, the night time temperatures just barely nipping at Lance’s skin as he strode through the shadow created by Allura’s house from the sunrise to where gold began to paint the grass. As soon as the sunlight hit it, his skin instantly warmed up, the cool air nipping at his skin quickly vanishing as warmth encased him. Lance loved the feeling of the morning sun, the way it melted away the nights past bitterness and gave rise to a new day. Even with dew covered grass, Lance found himself sitting were the sun had shone for a while, the ground here much warmer then only a few meters away. 

Lance was enjoying himself for a while, sun slowly warming him up until a memory flashed across shut eyes. _”Lance is an angel.”_ It felt like he was thrust underneath water, the harsh pressure making him almost gag. The boy sat up from his reclined position, blue eyes wide and breath heavy. He had been doing his best to push that aside, to act like that was a dream and not something the women had actually said to him in real life. 

There was no way that could be real. Angels were… they were some higher power in Heaven, why would they want to throw away an angel and put it inside of Lance? _”Lance is an angel. He is the angel itself.”_ He’s not an angel. There’s no way. Lance was a human, a simple, easily hurt, very gullible human. There was no wings sprouting from his back, no special powers or shit that made him heavenly. Hell, he couldn’t compare himself to someone who would be called ‘angelic’. There’s no way Lance was an angel.

_”She is also aware you’re an angel.”_ The blue eyes boys stomach churned as Allura’s words ran through his head. His mom knew? And his dad? How could they never had said anything all this time? They treated him no differently then any of his other brothers and sisters, but maybe that was for a reason. Would there be any reason why they wouldn’t tell him? It’s possible they were waiting for something, or maybe this could just be some weird experiment that angels-.

That thought stopped Lance in his tracks as his mind went another direction. Angels were real. What the fuck? Did that mean heaven, God, hell, and all that stuff are real to? Plus the fact that all this supernatural and twilight shit was real too. It almost hurt his head to think about all of this, to have to come to terms with all this mythological and supernatural creatures being real. Were centaurs and mermaid real? Lance does remember Allura mentioning something about a pod of them. Is that what they were called? 

All thoughts in his mind stopped as he felt a sudden sting in his chest, jealousy and despair mixing in his gut as the feelings knocked the air from his lungs. Someone was watching Lance, he could feel that too, and he didn’t even need to turn around to know who. 

Still, Lance did turn his body to glance back at the house still shrouded in shadows, blue eyes instantly being pulled to a window at the far left of the small cabin, amber eyes watching him from closed drapes, a slit open to allow view from inside. It stung his chest, not only having Keith watch him but almost feeling what the vampire must have felt watching him. He almost felt guilty for simply sitting there and enjoying the sunlight. 

Another memory of Keith standing in sunlight came across Lance’s eyes, the vampire looking like an angel himself with gold smothering pale skin. He could feel tanned cheeks heat up before looking away from the window, feeling like Keith would be able to see him blushing. 

The faint sound of a door creaking open made his gaze shift back to the house, watching as Allura pokes out from the doorway, violet eyes taking a moment to land on Lance. A gentle smile pulled at her lips before using one hand to cup around her lips. “Come inside! We’re getting things ready!” 

Pushing himself off of dry grass, the blue eyed boy headed towards the witches house. The white haired women ended up making breakfast for the trio, as Shiro and Keith couldn’t eat food anymore. After they finished and helped clean up the kitchen, per Allura’s demand, they began their plan of action. 

It wasn’t anything impressive or complicated, but it was a little risky. Allura and Lance brought the backs of the cars as close to the front patio as possible, trying not to mess up the witches plants and decorations surrounding the yard, and popped open the trunk. Inside, Pidge and Hunk helped the two vampires cover themselves from head to toe in clothes, trying to cover up every piece of skin they could. Once the cars were in place, large blankets were wrapped around Shiro and Keith, blinding them as well as offering more protection from the sun. With a round of breaths, the two friends quickly guided the vampires out the front door, down the patio steps, and into the respective trunk of whatever car they were planned to go in. 

All went smoothly, only a couple hisses of pain and faint burnt flesh smell as the trunks were closed, encasing the vampires in darkness. Hunk and Pidge gave each other a high five before wiping their hands like they did so much work. The other two climbed out of the cars, meeting the friends at the trunks.

“You guys okay in there?” Allura asks as she kneels between the two, placing a hand of each trunk. 

It took a moment, both cars shaking slightly as the vampires seemed to adjust themselves in the trunks. “The sun hurt, but I’m good now.” Shiro responded, voice muffled through the metal. 

“I’m fine.” Keith’s voice came from the other trunk, blue eyes resting on the smooth metal surface. It was odd that he found himself wanting to lean on the trunk, as if that was some equivalent to leaning against the vampire. Wait, what?

“Well then.” Allura speaks, hands on either side of her hips as she stands. “Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?” 

The three friends took the car with Keith in the back while Allura handled the car with Shiro in it. Lance was cast to the back seat of the car as Hunk drove and Pidge curled up in the passenger seat, claiming it was much better for sleeping then the back seat, as the small friend almost instantly fell asleep as soon as they were a few miles away from Allura’s home. The dirty blond must not have slept very well last night, but neither did Lance honestly, but he wasn’t going to argue with Pidge about sitting up front.

Honestly, he was kind of happy to be in the back. Was it because Keith was in the trunk and he felt closer to him when he was in the back? That’s a possibility, but there’s also a lot of legroom when Lance presses his back against the car door. He remembers Allura mentioning that it would be a few hours, given where she was and where the cabin was, so a nap didn’t sound too bad here. It was only a few moments after he decided to close his eyes, Hunk playing some soft music and humming along, that Lance felt his chest sting.

That pang of jealousy and grief shot through his gut and into his chest, making him sit up just a little in response, honey eyes flickering to him for just a moment before returning to the road. Luckily his friend didn’t comment, the blue eyed boy slowly lowering himself back down to lean against the car door and rest. Still, those feelings stirred in his chest like some strange projection, the hurt and anger not completely his own. Blue eyes shifted to the seats next to him, the divider between the backset and the trunk. That must be what he was feeling.

Lance quickly filled himself with guilt and shame as he remembered feeling Keith watching him this morning. It had been so long since the vampire has been able to enjoy sunlight, and only recently he was able to feel it again for a moment. That had to feel horrible to have such a thing ripped away from you once again, and it might have been Lance’s fault. What if that was why the vampire was able to stand in the sunlight anyway? It did happen right after Keith almost drank him dry. 

Blue eyes flickered to the front, watching as honey orbs stayed on the road and Pidge finally falling asleep. It just reminded him of how he brought them into this, that the homes are no longer safe and the trio had to hide out in the woods somewhere with a bunch of vampires. At the same time, they could be in Altea which was slowly being picked out by Zarkons vampires. Lance couldn’t decide which path might actually be worse. 

Those same blue eyes snapped to the back windows as Lance had a thought. If he had never met Keith and Shiro, Lance might not know he was an angel. And what’s worse, if Zarkon would have found him, he would definitely become a well kept snack for the vampire. There had to be some power or something to the boys blood, it seemed to always be pointed out by other vampires, plus the fact that he might have been able to give Keith the ability to walk in the sun again. Maybe Lance really was an angel.

Nope. Still no way. Not until he sprouted wings from his back and started playing a harp. That’s what angels did, right?

Lance’s mind went on and on until blue eyes finally began closing, the boy falling asleep in the car, leaving only Hunk to stay awake and continue the drive. Thankfully it wasn’t too bad, the boy able to keep a good distance behind Allura the whole time, following the witches car through twisting roads, overgrown trees and dense forestry until they reached a familiar dirt road, turning off and following Allura down it. Only a few moments later did they arrive to the cabin, Hunk following the witch around back in order to properly set the cars up in order to get the vampires out. Lance only woke up last second as Hunk was about to park. 

It was another quick motion of popping open the trunks, guiding the vampires out of said trunks and manuerving them into the house. Once the door was shut and the vampires were in the house, darkness quickly ensued, all drapes and blinds being pulled over the windows for protection. 

Lance waited by the door for the others to come in, Keith and Shiro pulling off their covers and fixing themselves, the bigger vampires rolling his neck and stretching, as he could only assume the ride made both vampires sore. Once the other three were in the house, Lance heard the doors lock, both the car and the house, and the cabin became dimly lit. Kolivan, Ulaz, and Thace came out from the deeper parts of the house, the vampire with the long white braid stepped towards them all, offering a hand to Shiro. “It’s good to have you back.” 

Any tension that was in the room quickly vanished as Shiro took the vampires arm, their hands grabbing either at the forearm and shaking. Lance could even see the crimson eyed vampire smiling as he released the purebloods arm, the other two vampires stepping forward. “It’s good to be back Kolivan.” Shiro spoke, hands on either side of his hips. “I’m surprised you’re all up. We weren’t expecting a welcoming party.” The vampire joked. 

“It’s been very tense these past few days, we wanted to ensure you all arrived safe and without others.” Thace spoke, or at least who he remembered was to be Thace, dark grey hair pushed up slightly reminding him of wolverine, one white stripe going from his temple to the end of his hair on each side. “Zarkon plans to make his move soon.”

“Good thing we plan to make ours even sooner.” Shiro assured, the vampire seeming to ease any tension thrown his way. “We should all rest and regroup at sunset, then we’ll go over the plan more in depth. In the meantime, Allura and her friend will reset the protections around the house.” 

“Coran will be here soon. He’s even better at setting protection runes then I am.” Allura chimed in, the witch smiling as she made sure to give the proper credit where it was due. “Although I do worry he may get lost on his way here.” 

The crimson eyed vampire turned his attention to Allura before nodding. “You can go out and help guide him here.” Shiro offered, although none of the vampires would be able to help in the search for Allura’s friend. Crimson eyes shifted to the three friends. “Would any of you go with Allura to help her?” The man asked the question so sweetly, it almost felt rude to decline. 

Still, Lance’s body was sore from the night before and could really go for a nice rest in an actual bed. Luckily Hunk and Pidge nodded. “Yeah! I want to meet another witch!” Pidge seemed a little too excited. 

“Coran is actually a warlock, but it’s all technical terms. He was born in Summer, so his powers are much stronger than mine with the type of protection we’ll be using.” Allura explains, violet eyes shifting over to the three boys, who of course were the only ones with barely any knowledge on the supernatural. Well, more like no knowledge on the supernatural. 

A thought crossed Lance’s mind, making blue eyes go wide. Did he have any powers? It seemed like almost all the supernatural creatures had some type of heightened ability or power, so if Lance was really an angel, shouldn’t he have some type of powers? That was something he had to remember to ask Allura at a later point. 

“We’ll we’re going to head back to rest.” Ulaz spoke, being the first vampire to turn and walk back into the depths of the house, stairs creaking as the vampire with the short white mohawk walked downstairs. That must be where all the vampires sleep. Thace and Kolivan shortly followed, leaving the small group alone. 

“Are you going to join Lance?” Allura asked, bringing the conversation back to where it was a moment ago. 

Blue eyes snapped to violet as he wasn’t exactly ready to be asked anything. “Oh-Uh, probably not. I didn’t get very much sleep last night, I wouldn’t be much help.” Lance confessed, although he also didn’t feel like being in a car and meeting another new person. He was feeling rather overwhelmed by everything and simply wanted to lay down and sleep. “Hunk and Pidge will be plenty for you.”

The women smiled, as if knowing what was really going on, before nodding. “Alright, well we should head back out then, daylight is a wasting.” Allura said with a large grin, grabbing the two friends and dragging them outside, making sure they were all careful of letting sunlight spill into the room and harm the vampires. The witch quickly closed the door behind her, leaving Lance and the last two vampires.

“Are you guys gonna sleep?” Lance asked, looking over to crimson eyes, the other vampire seeming to be plainly avoiding eye contact. Strange.

“Yeah, I know I didn’t get much rest last night. None of Allura’s mattresses are comfortable, so I’m excited to sleep in my bed here.” Shiro replied easily, rolling his neck as he spoke of the uncomfortable beds. “You should rest too, I can smell the weariness coming off of you.” 

Lance gave the vampire with a white tuff an odd look. “You can what?” He asks, wondering if he possibly misheard Shiro. 

“You smell tired Lance, it’s seeping out through your blood. Get some rest.” The crimson eyed vampire said gently as he placed a hand on the boys shoulder before walking past him and down the stairs where the rest of the vampires went. All besides Keith.

The vampire still seemed to be avoiding eye contact, but he didn’t leave with Shiro so that must have been good. There was a tension in the air Lance could feel, but he wasn’t sure why? What must have happened in the last few hours to make the vampire act like this. 

“You doing okay man?” Lance asks quietly, making sure to not move from his spot as he watched amber eyes flicker towards him. It was almost as if the vampire wasn’t expecting that to come out of him. 

Keith simply nods his head before putting an arm across his chest and grabbing his other arm with his hand. He looked as if he was trying to shield himself or appear smaller. “I not excited for the plan.” The vampire admits, amber eyes moving away. Lance could feel the shame coming off of him. 

The blue eyed boy simply let out a breath before a gentle smile tugged at his lips. “We could switch places and I’ll do whatever it is you’re worried about.” The boy watched as the vampire reacted. He was not ready at all for Lance to offer such a thing.

“You can’t. Any vampire can quickly tell you’re not vampire.” Keith replied, not even letting the thought play around in his mind. “They might even be able to tell you’re not human.”

“I’m not-not human.” Lance defends himself, the blue eyed boy still not accepting the fact he may or may not be an angel. Definitely was not an angel. 

There was something that was exchanged between them, a feeling of understanding and sympathy from both ends. “I know that blue eyes.” Keith says so gently that Lance’s heart flutters, face going red. Amber eyes flickered away after that, the feeling in the boys chest intensifying. “Go get some rest Lance.” 

“You too Keith.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh I'm so sorry! I got into a huge writing slump and haven't been able to produce much, but I'm getting back into it, so I give you Klance fluff as a warm up! Hopefully I'll have a full chapter up in a few days! 
> 
> Very short chapter, but just wanted to put something good out here for y'all! :)
> 
> Thank you again everyone for the support!!
> 
> I apologize for spelling/grammar errors, no betas!

There was only a few hours that Lance was able to sleep, his body sore and covered in sweat as a leg hung off the bed, stomach pressed to the sheets as his face was pressed to the pillows. Turning his head to window, he could see the sun still high in the sky, probably a few more hours until sunset and anything productive can be done with the vampires. Sounds could be heard from downstairs, a mix of voices and footsteps muffled by the shut wooden door. 

Using hands to push himself up, Lance sat up in the bed, facing the headboard as he wiped his eyes before stretching. He could still feel the weariness in his bones as he rubbed at the spot between his shoulder blades, muscles stiff and tense as he let his arm fall back to the mattress. How is it that now he’s in a comfortable bed, he can’t even get a good rest. Could it be the anxiety from what’s to come?

Focus shifted to the door as Lance felt a presence moving closer and closer, the voices from downstairs still as loud. It was only when the presence stood in front of his door did the blue eyed boy realize who it was. “Keith?” Lance whispered under his breath.

The knock that began quickly stopped, as if the vampire was surprised Lance could tell he was there before he made himself known. “How did you…?” Keith asked from the other side, just barely audible. 

“Come in.” Lance spoke, as if responding to the knock and not the question posed by the vampire. Still, the door slowly opened, the sounds voice from downstairs flooding in first, three familiar voices and one new one, but that note was quickly put aside as amber and blue eyes met. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

“Shouldn’t you?” Keith replies with the same question, shutting the door behind him and muffling the voices. The black haired boy stood still against the entryway. The sun painting different parts of the room as Lance kept the shades partially open. 

A small smile pulled at Lance’s lips as he sat up from the bed and moved towards the window. “Sorry.” The boy rushes out. “I just like watching the sunset.” He admits, shutting the curtains and allowing darkness to sleep completely into the room. “Alright, as you can see the pilot has turned off the seatbelt sign, you are free to move around the cabin as you please.” Lance began to play, a large grin on his face as he looked to Keith. “What?”

“What are you talking about?” Keith asks, back still against the door. 

Lance returns the confused expression. “What? Have you never - Dude, have you never been on a plane before?” His question turned serious as he realised the implications. 

“A plane?” It seemed to take Keith a moment. “Oh! No, I haven’t, but I see them sometimes at night.” The vampire answered honestly, finally taking a few steps away from the door and towards the bed. Lance still stands by the window. 

The blue eyed boy watches the vampire as the makes his way to the bed before grabbing the corner of the bedsheet and rubbing it between fingertips. “Whats up Keith?” Lance asked, assuming there was a reason for the vampires visit. 

The words seemed to cause Keith to freeze, fingers still as he holds the bedsheet. “I… I haven’t been able to sleep… and I can tell you haven’t either.” Amber eyes didn’t move towards Lance, even as he spoke. Still, even without the blood rushing to pale cheeks, Lance could feel the embarrassment and nervousness seeping from the vampire. It was kind of cute. 

“Nah, my mind keeps racing, plus my body is sore.” Lance admits as he makes his way back to the bed and sits against the headboard, pulling sheets back over his lip. “What’s keeping you up?” He asks, using a hand to encourage Keith to sit next to him. 

Surprisingly, the vampire moves onto the bed and plops down besides Lance, back pressed against the headboard and legs stretched out in front of him, over the covers. “My mind's been racing too I guess.” Keith answered, using one hand to rub the back of his neck. “This is a big plan, I mean, what if we’re biting off more than we can chew?”

“Mm. I don’t think so.” Lance answers easily, pulling amber eyes towards him. “You guys have been planning it for a while, plus it’s not like it’s just you and Shiro.” The blue eyed boy met with amber, an easy expression on his face that seemed to shift the mood. He felt overwhelmingly comfortable and at ease staring into amber eyes, nothing but a few inches and bedsheets separating them. 

It was obvious that Keith felt that same shift, eyes going a little wide as breath stuttered. “Do you feel that?”

Lance face immediately heated up, cheeks flushing a hot red as the vampire seemed to lean in almost. “Feel what?” The boy asked, unsure of exactly what the vampire was referencing. 

That definitely wasn’t the answer Keith wanted, as the look of disappointment flashed over his face for a moment, while Lance felt a sting in his chest, something similar to how Keith looked. “You mean that?” Lance asked, not knowing where he was going. 

Still, the expression and feeling shifted with Lances answer. “So you do feel it?” The vampire whispered, not moving from the position he was in. 

“I feel… something… but, it’s not the same every time…” Lance responds, face still heated as his felt breath trapped within his throat. 

Keith nods, eyes darting between a pair of blue. “It’s like I’m feeling… I don’t know…”  
Amber eyes dark away, as if the boy was ashamed to not be able to explain his mind.

“Emotions that aren’t mine.” Lance answers, as if knowing exactly what it was that Keith wanted to say.

The vampire nods again, this time slower. “I saw you… sitting in the sunlight this morning…” Keith begins, amber eyes tracing up the boys slim neck and up to blue eyes. Lance remained quiet as the other boy spoke. “You felt… happy and relaxed… I could feel it in my chest.” 

“I felt your jealousy and grief.” Lance says quietly, the words paining him as he understood what they meant. He wasn’t imagining the vampire watching him and feeling jealous, he had actually felt the boy. 

Amber darted between blue. “What do you feel now?” Keith asked, and Lance could swear if the vampires cheeks could flush they would, as his were turning red at that very moment.

“Safe.” Lance answered easily, eyes unmoving from amber. “I feel safe with you Keith.” 

The vampire nodded. “I feel safe too.” 

Lance’s body was vibrating, fingertips tingling and face heated as he looked at the vampire, an outline in the dark room besides amber eyes. The feeling in his gut and in his chest was intensified, butterflies going crazy and mind going a little hazy as amber eyes seemed to engulf him. 

“You could try sleeping in here?” Lance blurts out without thinking, blue eyes going wide as his words caught up with his mind. “I-I mean! If we both feel safer together rather than separate, than maybe it would be a good idea to-.” The blue eyed boy tried to defend himself, but Keith cut him off very simply. 

“That would be nice.” Keith replies, a gentle smile on his face despite the clear embarrassment. 

Lance was a little struck at first, but began to nod, unsure if what was happening was real or not. “Y-Yeah, okay.” He almost breathes out, beginning to slide down in the bed as Keith began to climb under the covers himself. It was silent for a moment after the vampire finally settled down, the boy unsure if he should say something or not as Keith released a breath. “Goodnight, Keith.” Lance settled on, feeling a little stupid. 

“Goodnight, Lance.” Keith replied easily, the gentle tone easing the slight anxiety that the boy felt in his chest. 

Both boys fell asleep in no time.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, a full chapter with plot progression! LoFi is so helpful when it comes to writing. Has anyone heard of CityGirl? Best lofi, cutest album art, great writing vibes.
> 
> Anyway, back to the story!!
> 
> Thank you everyone for the continued support, I'm so happy to be able to write a story completely through for all of you, and to have so many people reading and following makes me even happier. Thank you all so much!!
> 
> I apologize for grammar/spelling errors, no betas!

When Lance woke up later that night, the bed was empty with sheets tossed and pillows obviously dented. The blue eyed boy would never admit to anyone that he might have grabbed those pillows and stuffed his face into them, and the possibility he enjoyed the reminiscent smell of Keith on the pillows. Maybe. Again, he would never admit it to anyone. 

The voices coming from downstairs were much more intense this time as the boy sat up, so he assumed it was much later and more people were gathered in the living room. Lance himself should honestly try to go downstairs and join the group, since his body felt a lot better and his mind ridded of exhaustion. Maybe he should share a bed with Keith more often. _Lance you need to stop._

Slowly, Lance made his way out of the bed and went straight for the bathroom, deciding to clean up a little before he makes his way downstairs and joins the rest of the group. As he did arrive, the room was faintly lit with with a group of familiar faces gathered on the couched in the living room, only one person seeming to be new to him. Lance faintly remembers Allura going out to get her witch friend, his own friends tagging along in the process. He wonders how that went.

“Lance!” Allura yells as she is the first to truly notice him, the group seeming very focused on the topic on hand. “It’s good to see you awake! Come join us.” She beckons him over, offering a seat on the couch next to her, the blue eyed boy moving to the seat as he feels the eyes of his friends on him. A sideway glance their way allowed Lance to see a spark in both of their eyes, as if waiting to get him alone. Did they see Keith leave his room? Oh god no.

“What’s going on?” Lance asks, trying to ignore the sly grins of his friends and focus on the vampires around him. 

“We will be heading out soon to Zarkon’s Ball, you and your friends will be staying here under protection spells from Allura and Coran.” Kolivan says, pulling blue eyes towards his direction. He only now realized how dressed up everyone way, including Allura whom he sat next to, a form fitting, lavender dress hugged her frame, sleeves dripping off her shoulders slightly with a light floral design stitched into the bodice. Of course all the men wore the same looking tuxedo, no man with a fashion sense to be-wait.

The new face sits near Lance, red-ginger hair slicked back except for one strand in the front the falls out, and a very eccentric looking mustache above his lip. This man wore a deep purple suit with floral patterns close to those of Allura’s covering the suit, making it the best outfit here. Except for Allura, she looked beautiful as always. 

“I see at least _one_ of you has a sense of fashion.” Lance comments, gesturing a hand towards the new person. 

“Oh hoo, well looks like I’m not the only here here. Why is he not going?” The man asks, an odd accent coming out that seems to perfectly match this eccentric man. 

Allura rolls her eyes. “Because, Coran, any vampire will sniff him out from miles away.” She answers, smoothing her dress out as he crossed her legs. “That is why all three of you are staying here.” This time the words were directed at Lance and his friends. “I heard about your little escape Lance.”

“Covering yourself in mud definitely helps cover the smell.” Lance seems to defend himself, sitting back against the couch and crossing his arms. 

“Lance, you are staying.” Shiro speaks up, pulling eyes towards him. It was odd that he seemed to be so quiet, but one look could tell you why. He looked wrecked and stressed, his suit and hair looking perfect, but his face was sunken and dark, showing just how nervous he was about this plan. It made Lance even more nervous than before. 

“I know.” Is all the boy said, feeling the definite answer from Shiro and not wanting to argue against him, given his look. “I’m sure we’ll find something to do.” 

“Ulaz has a large movie collection if you want to-.” Kolivan begins, as if wanting to offer some help so they were more likely to stay put. 

Ulaz was quick to interpret. “A movie collection I’ve been working on for years. I don’t trust them with that.” He protested, arms crossing over his chest. 

Kolivan looked over to Lance and then his two friends. “Will you three try not to destroy his movie collection?” He asks, as if asking children a question about being responsible while the parents aren’t home.

“We’re not children.” Pidge responds, looking rather comfy on a separate couch, squished between Hunk and the new man, Coran. 

Kolivan and Ulaz exchange a look, but Ulaz seems to give in. “Fine. But they better not touch anything else while they are in there.” This time red eyes were watching the three friends. “I will know if you touch something.”

Lance waves the man's hostility away. “Yeah, yeah, I’m sure you have everything cataloged in your room.” He rushes out, preferring to talk about a different subject. “So what is your plan? Just going to show up at the mansion and walk on in, find Zarkon and kill him?”

The vampires all look at each other. “That’s a very, _very_ short version of the plan, but yes.” Kolivan responds, seeming to be the true head of the whole operation. “The Ball is known widely throughout vampire culture, it goes back to ancient times before balls were truly an occasion. Therefore, all vampires are invited to the ball, with an exception of lesser vampires.” 

“Lesser vampires?” Hunk asks this time, taking the exact words from Lance’s mouth. 

A deep breath is taken by Shiro. “I think this was explained to Lance, but not you two.” He begins, sitting forward more. “There are many different types of vampires, but there are four that really matter. Those are Royal Bloods, Pure Bloods, those turned by Royal Bloods and those turned by Pure Bloods. Make sense?”

Hunk and Pidge nod while Lance remains still, wracking his brain for the memory of this conversation. 

“Royal Bloods are the most powerful of us all, they are said to come from the mother of all Vampires, Lilith.” Shiro continues, most of the attention from the room pulled on him, but Lance felt a pair of eyes on him. He did not let blue dart over to amber. “Therefore, Royal Bloods are the most powerful and have a much larger array of skills up their sleeves, if you will. Pure Bloods come next, as they are the original human turned vampires.”

“What do you mean by original?” Hunk asks, running a hand through brunette hair. 

“For a time in our history, Royal Bloods were able to create a new species of vampires, Pure Bloods. They were not as strong or powerful as Royal Bloods, and they had minimal skills compared to their creators, but they were stronger than humans turned today. Lilith was unhappy with this new creation, as they were not as perfect as the Royal Bloods, and she demanded they all be destroyed. This didn’t abode well with the Pure Bloods, and even a large number of Royal Bloods were displeased with this order, so a war began between those who sided with Lilith and those who did not.” Shiro paused, as if letting the information sink in to the three. 

“What happened?” Pidge piped up, seeming to be intrigued by the knowledge that Shiro was presenting them. “After the war, what happened?”

“The unexpected.” He answered, as if he was remembering the event. “Lilith was destroyed, along with those who followed her. When she died though, the power granted to Royal Bloods was gone and they were no longer able to create Pure Bloods, but rather a hybrid of human and vampire. Not only that, but Pure Bloods that had been created before the war were able to pass on their vampirism as well, although those created will be lesser than those created by Royal Bloods.”

“So there was no more Pure Bloods being created?” Lance asks, discovering that no, they did not have this detailed discussion but there was something along the lines he remembered. 

“Not exactly. It took awhile for both types of vampires to realize they could breed within themselves, creating more Royal Bloods and Pure Bloods without tainting the power.” Shiro answered, hands in his lap as he leaned forward. “For a while that’s what vampires were focused on, building back up their numbers after over half of them were destroyed. It only took a couple of centuries before they had their numbers back, and after that point they began to separate again, creating clans and some type of secret government that is controlled by those still alive from the Original Days.” Shiro had so much damn information in him that Lance’s brain was starting to hurt. 

“So what are you then?” Pidge asked, eyes a little narrow.

“Keith and I share the same heritage. We come from a Royal Blood, Zarkon, although we are unsure of when he was created. I’m sure he’s not as old as the Originals.” Shiro spoke, looking over to Keith as if for conformation. 

“The three of us are Pure Bloods.” Kolivan spoke, the three friends looking over the vampire. It almost made sense instantly, the powerful aura coming from Kolivan much stronger than that of Shiro’s. “None of us are from the Original Days, it’s complicated to find someone alive from then.”

“Because they’re dead or…?” Lance asks, very into this topic and learning more about this underground world.

“Because of the great power their blood holds.” Ulaz answered, unexpected, but still welcomed as focus shifted towards him. “Both Pure Bloods and Royal Bloods from the Original Days have a much more powerful connection to Lilith, therefore their blood is rumored to have mythical benefits if you were to drink from them.” 

“So they’re in hiding?” Lance asks, connecting the dots in his head before the conclusion was given out loud. “But they have to be so much more powerful than any vampire created after the war, right? Why hide when you’re so badass?”

Shiro let out a breath. “Some believe that those from before the war that are still alive have lost all powers. Whether it be from time or something else, no one knows.”

“Didn’t the vampires from the Original Days drink Lilith's blood too?” Coran asks, unexpected as his voice was much lighter and less serious than the vampires who were talking previous. “I’ve done a lot of reading and research on vampiric history, nothing better than a dark and dreary tale. But, it was believed that the vampires who consistently drank Lilith's blood were much more powerful than any others, but when she was killed, their powers began to slowly leak from them.”

Lance makes a humming noise as he processes all this information. “So what about the other two classes of vampires you mentioned?” 

“Huh? Oh, that’s right.” Shiro leaned back in his chair, arms resting atop either armrest. “After Pure Bloods and Royal Bloods there comes those created from them. Humans turned by Royal Bloods and humans turned by Pure Bloods. The former will be stronger, and even if the turned human were to turn another, that vampire would still be more powerful than a vampire created by a Pure Blood.” Shiro explains, the three friends nodding as they continued to absorb knowledge. “There is a special class as well, but those vampires don’t last long.”

“Rabids.” Keith whispers, yet another unexpected voice, but the way he said it made Lance’s blood run cold. He could feel the hate and rage boiling up inside of Keith. 

Shiro nods, taking a breath to pull attention back to him. “Rabids, yes. They are humans that are turned who were not given blood after their awakening.” 

“I’m sorry, what?” Pidge asks, collecting the confusion from Hunk and Lance so they didn’t also have to ask ‘what’.

“When human are turned, there’s a long process that goes behind it, but in the final stage the human awakens as a vampire, hence the name awakening, and they must consume blood within the first forty-eight hours. If they don’t… bloodlust completely traps them and they are forever suck a bloodthirsty creature with absolute no humanity.”

“Royal Bloods like to keep rabids around as guard dogs, so to speak.” Thace adds in, his voice low as if remembering something. “Other then that, rabids get killed easily by hunters. They have no sense, no thoughts.” 

All three friends seemed to perk up at that. “Hunters?” “Wait, hunters are a thing?” “Like in Supernatural?”

Of course the three could barely contain their excitement as the supernatural world began to grow more and more. “Are they helping at all with this? I mean, it would make sense if hunters were helping you take down this big bad guy, right?” Lance asks, leaning forward in his seat. 

“Yes, we will be going to a meet up location first before we head to the mansion, which we should be heading out for.” Ulaz answered, sounding impatient. 

“Ulaz is right.” Shiro says with a heavy breath before standing. “We should be heading out, we don’t want to keep the hunters waiting.” 

With that, almost everyone in the room stood, Lance feeling like he was watching the red carpet as they all walked past him and towards the front door. Of course, blue eyes darted towards amber, the vampire slowly standing from his seated positing, adjusting his tuxedo before smoothing his hair back, a nice bun sitting at the back of his head, just barely hidden as Lance looked at him. 

He was instantly hit with those separated feelings, embarrassment as well as an uneasy tenseness settling deep in Lance’s stomach. A frown pulled at his lips as Keith walked up to and almost past him, following the other vampires, but a hand shoots out, grabbing the vampires arm as they were the last two to leave the living room. 

Amber seemed to melt into blue. “Be careful.” Lance said in a tense voice, filling his chest fill with worry. 

Keith only nodded, only moving once the the boys hand was taken away from his arm, Lance slowly following behind as they met up with everyone outside. The vampires crawled into one car as Allura and Coran sat in the other, Pidge’s car sitting hidden in the shade. As Allura opened the drivers side door, she stopped and looked at the three friends standing with the backs facing the house. 

“Please be safe and stay inside the house! Coran and I’s protection spells only extend so far. Like we said, we’ll be coming back before they do.” Allura spoke from the car, the last part going over Lance’s head as he definitely did not remember that part of the conversation. It must have been before he got downstairs. 

“You guys be safe too!” Hunk called back over the sound of the cars starting, the two friends waving as the cars backed up and turned to leave, Lance standing there with arms crossed, a heavy feeling in his stomach. 

_Please be safe._ Lance though, hoping that somehow Keith could hear him as the cars drove off, the taillights slowly becoming dimmer and dimmer until there was nothing but darkness extending out in front of them. It made a chill go up Lances spine as he turned and looked at his friends. They both wore a wide grin.

“What?” Lance asks innocently, hoping that whatever these two had to be giddy about was not what he was thinking.

Pidge and Hunk exchanged a look before smoothly moving to stand at either side of him. “Rough night, huh?” Pidge asked, winking at Lance. As blue eyes moved to honey, Hunk seemed to only make kissy faces as opposed to saying anything. 

“Please don’t!” Lance almost whines out, stepping away from the two and turning to face them. “Whatever you think happened did not happen.”

“What, did he sleep in floor while you took the bed?” Pidge teased, aiming to poke at Lance. The boy easily dodged it and continued to slap his friends hand.

Lance rolled his eyes as he moved towards the house. “Maybe it’s just nice to have someone in the room with me, because you know, all the crazy shit happening?” He suggested, but it was more out of desperation and slight honesty.

His friends followed him, their steps sounding behind him as they walked up the patio. “Um, hello? We’re your friends Lance.”

“Best friends.” Lance replies, turning around before they entered the house. “And you’re also weak and would get torn to pieces by a vampire.”

Both his friends places a hand to their hearts as if he shot them. “Damn, didn’t need to throw that truth bomb out there Lance.” Pidge said, pushing past him to step inside. 

“I understand.” Hunk said softly, the boys face warm. “But it’s still fun to tease you.” A pat on the shoulder left Lance alone on the porch, his other friend heating inside and leaving him in the darkness. 

Blue eyes rolled as he turned to walk into the house. “Yeah, yeah. You guys are just a bunch of - oh no.” Lance stopped as he entered the house, feeling ice move through his veins as he saw his friends frozen in front of him, looking at the figure standing in the middle of the kitchen, long white hair catching the moonlight filtering through the open windows. 

Once red met blue, Lance stopped breathing. “I heard Cinderella wants to go to the ball too.” Lotor spoke in a silky voice, making the boy feel wrong, oh so wrong. “Lucky for you, I have the perfect pair of glass slippers.”

“You fucking-.” Lance begins, feeling rage and anger take over him for a moment, but it’s gone as he feels the wind knocked out of his, vision blurring and muscles giving out as cold hands grabbed him. 

What powerful protections spells, right Allura?


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to upload chapters at odd hours of the night. I'm like a fanfic santa. (its 3 am lol)
> 
> I apologize for spelling/grammar errors, no betas!

It was a long car ride, but Keith was able to pass the time by watching as the clouds in the sky would slowly move and cover bright stars, dimming the sky slightly before moving on, a constant cycle that kept amber eyes focused on the outside of the car rather than the inside. Still, the vampire couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off as they left the log cabin, Lance and his friends standing with the structure behind them, and it stayed with him even now as they were an hour out and soon to be arriving at the meeting point.

“Keith.” Shiro spoke softly besides him, pulling amber eyes away from the window and towards his friend. Well, more like brother, but that was small details. “You seem off.”

The amber eyed vampire nodded, as if confirming that yes, he was feeling off. “Something felt weird as we were leaving.” He spoke quietly, not wanting to fill the whole car with their conversation. “I can’t tell what though.”

“They’ll be fine Keith.” Shiro sooths, a hand going to sit atop the boys shoulder, a comforting motion. Still, the vampire wasn’t comforted at all. 

Only a few more moments of silence passed as they arrived at their destination. It wasn’t anything fancy, rather a large field filled with the cars and trucks from the hunters, tents and other supplies set up around as if the area was a small hunter camp. Keith was surprised with how exposed they were, but that could be helped with the spells of witches. 

As they parked and stepped out of the car, a familiar face strode up to them. “Shiro! Keith! It’s so good to see you guys!” The boy yelled, dirty blonde hair a mess, sweat and dirt covering his face as a small scar sat under his left eye. 

“It’s good to see you too, Matt.” Shiro said with a large smile, the hunter pulling the vampire in for a quick hug. “You would never believe who I met.” 

“Who?” Matt asks, seeming too excited as the other vampires strode over to where the large cluster of hunters were. 

It was as if Shiro wanted some suspense, not answering immediately. “Your sister, Katie.” 

“Pidge?” Matt looked shocked, and it didn’t seem to be a good kind of shock. “That’s not good Shiro, you know she’s not supposed to be involved in this kind of stuff.”

The vampire nodded, a little sadly almost as he placed a hand on the hunter's shoulder. “You know the friend Lance?” Matt nods, it almost seeming odd that he wouldn’t. “Well he’s pulled the attention of Zarkon and his son, and unfortunately Katie and Hunk were caught up in it.”

Fear quickly took over Matt’s face. “I-Is she okay? She didn’t get attacked by any vamps did she? Oh man, if anything happened to Katie, mom and dad would lose their minds!” The brother seemed to be in a full fledged panic, but a squeeze from Shiro’s hand brought hazel back to crimson.

“Your sister is safe, they’re all at the cabin out by Altea. Allura and Coran put some heavy protection spells up before we left, so they are safe Matt. I promise.” Shiro says calmly, slowly easing the panic out of his friend and returning him to a much calmer state. 

“Well, it’s good to know she’s not _in_ Altea. There’s been constant missing persons reports, and they’re already working on taking the town off the grid.” Matt replies, moving the focus of the conversation back to the main reason they were here. “It’s time to take care of Zarkons clan once and for all.” 

With that, the three moved towards the big gathering of bodies near the center of the camp, Kolivan and an unknown women stood on crates to make themselves better seen. It seemed that the discussion of the plan had already begun. 

“... many strong and bloodthirsty vampires at that ball ready to take us out in an instant, but we will not be easily defeated! We have the element of surprise on our side, they will be so involved in themselves they will barely notice us moving in on them! This is our chance to strike and take down the tyrant rule of Zarkon! Who is with me?” 

The crowd erupted in shouts and yells, the intense energy flowing in and out of Keith, making the vampire shake. He was surprised such a hunter like her would exist, the women standing with two long, blonde pigtails running down her back, a dark yellow undershirt with a blue green breastplate on top, covering her shoulders, chest and back, but her leaving her abdomen exposed. Didn’t seem like the smartest of armor choices. 

“Nyma is really good at rallying everyone.” Matt says under his breath as he leans over to Keith and Shiro. “She only joined a couple years ago and she’s our go to girl when it comes to stuff like this.” 

Shiro hums and nods, Keith only continuing to look at the women before moving amber eyes back to the two standing near him. “Her armor is weak.” Keith says simply, as if stating a fact like the sky is blue. 

“Her undershirt is made of fabric woven with steel elements. No vampire claws or anything will penetrate that.” Matt reponds, placing a hand on both sides of his hips. “She still won’t tell me where she got it from. I’ll get it out of her one day.” The hunter almost said under his breath, but turns his attention back to the two vampires. “Well, we should move to the armory before it gets swarmed, I’m assuming you two don’t have any weapons?” 

Shiro and Keith exchanged a look, neither of the vampires ever really carried a weapon, usually relying on their own strength or each others. When they both shook their heads, the hunter cracked a smile. “Not like we really ever needed weapons, but it couldn’t hurt?” Shiro says as he shrugs shoulders, Keith feeling about the same. 

A sudden pinch at the back of his neck made Keith jump, a hand swatting the feeling away as he quickly turned, expecting someone to be there. Only there wasn’t, the vampire receiving odd looks from both Shiro and Matt. “Sorry, something must have bit me.” The amber eyed vampire comments, an uneasy feeling settling deep in his stomach and chest. Keith felt on edge but he couldn’t understand _why_. 

“I thought vampires blood was stale? Mosquitoes don’t usually bite you guys.” Matt looks slightly concerned, but not as much as Shiro did. The white haired man knew something was off, but with a quick shake of his head, the vampire dropped it. Matt looked rather confused, but as attention was turned back to him, it seemed he understood not to comment further. “Well, doesn’t matter, let’s get going!” He said cheerily, turning on his heel and leading them away from the large crowd and hunter still yelling at them. 

Odd looks were thrown at Shiro and Keith as the moved through the camp, vampires and creatures of the sort not typically allowed in hunter camps, but with the current situation that rule didn’t really seem to apply. Still, they were definitely not welcomed, if not only by Matt. Given how long they’ve known Matt, there was a possibility they would be more welcomed by his hunter group, but it didn’t work out that nicely. 

The memory of meeting a teenage Matt crossed over Keith’s mind, the fresh hunter straight out of training accidentally mistook them for rabids and tried to take them out. It was only when Matt’s father and mentor finally found them and stopped Matt from killing them, as Shiro was weak and sick at that point, and Keith slowly coming down with the same illness. If not for Matt’s father, the two vampires would be dead. 

Rounding a corner, a large tent came into view with a firepit at either side and crates filled with guns and ammo surrounding the tent. As they got closer, amber eyes spotted more crates and tables inside, lined with different weapons to kill vampires. It made a shiver run down his spine as Keith looked back to the pair he walked behind. 

“Romelle, you in here?” Matt called out as the got closer to the tent, a small blonde popping up from behind the fabric wall, a bit of gunpowder staining her cheeks as a braid crowned her head. A gentle smile pulled at her lips as she moved from the tent over to them, stopping in front with hands on her hips. “There’s my favorite weapons gal!” 

“Matt! Who are your friends?” She asks, her gaze obviously suspicious despite the smile on her face. 

The dirty blonde turned towards the two vampires, holding arms out as if showcasing them and lowering himself to one knee. “Let me introduce you to some _fine _vampires, if I do say so myself,” he tossed a wink at her before moving closer to Shiro and draping arms over him, “this lovely sack of man meat is Shiro, say hello Shiro.”__

__If the white haired man could blush he would, and Keith could tell as the man raised his hand sheepishly and waved. “Hello, Romelle was it? It’s nice to meet you.” The vampire offered his hand, and surprisingly the women took it without missing a beat, giving it a hefty shake._ _

__“And you.” Romelle replied, the look in her eyes softening as Matt moved over to Keith, this time not getting as handsy, only a hand touching his shoulder with the hunter to the side._ _

__Keith felt a little odd, averting his eyes away before Matt had a chance to say anything. “And this shy little vamp is Keith. He won’t bite, but he also won’t really talk.” The man spoke with such a light tone that it almost made him not feel bad about being a vampire, but when he raised his eyes back to a sharp violet, it was clear that he was still on thin ice, as opposed to Shiro._ _

__“Well it’s nice to meet you both. I’m assuming you’re here to prep?” The women asked, turning and walking back towards the tent, Matt following and gesturing for the vampires to follow as well. “How do you two feel about guns?”_ _

__“I’ve never handled one really.” Shiro replies, taking a moment to really think about it._ _

__“They hurt.” Keith said, giving a more honest opinion about how he felt about guns. He’s never held on either, but they’ve definitely been held against him._ _

__“That they do Keith, that they do.” Romelle said cheerfully, stopping in front of an open crate before rummaging around it in and pulling out what looked to be a small pistol, an interesting design engraved on the side that almost reminding him of celtic. “Which is why they work so well against vampires. If you two have ever gotten in a _real _fight with a hunter, you would know how we usually take you guys down.”___ _

____“Legs first, arms, then head.” Matt says from behind the vampires, both of them turning to look at him with wide eyes. “What? I _am _a hunter guys.” The dirty blonde defends, raising hands up in the corresponding manner.___ _ _ _

______A sigh left Romelle. “He is right though and you two should remember that. Once your legs are out, you can’t move. Once your arms are out, you can’t grab us. All that’s left is the head.” She continues to say, handing the gun to Shiro. “The bullets are silver, so you won’t be able to touch them, we go have gloves that will help with that.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______When a gun was handed to Keith, his hands stayed at his sides, unwilling to grab it. “What about a knife?” He asked, amber eyes flickering over to the table._ _ _ _ _ _

______“A gun would be a safer bet-.” The women began, but Keith was firm._ _ _ _ _ _

______“What about a knife?” He asked again, as if he wasn’t heard the first time and needed to repeat himself. It was deep set in his mind to not use a gun, as the devices have only ever been used to harm him or others he cared about. Even the smell of the gunpowder made him sick, the scent overwhelmed him the moment they walked into the tent._ _ _ _ _ _

______He received an odd look from both Romelle and Matt, only Shiro understanding the depth. “O~kay.” The women said, holding out the O as she turned and walked towards the table with an array of knifes. “Once again, most of these are made with silver, so you’ll have to be careful with handling them.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Keith and the other two followed, the vampire stopping in front of the table and scanned the weapons, looking for something specific. When he spotted it his hand went straight for it, the sensation of burning fingertips causing his hand to retract slightly._ _ _ _ _ _

______“We don’t like you guys grabbing the knives from our hands.” Romelle said as amber eyes shot up to violet. “Your gloves would be much more useful if they had fingertips too.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“I don’t like that feeling.” Keith replied, not giving her much of as answer really as he went to grab the same knife again, his time using his palm as leather stretched across it and gave a safety against the leather. It was only when he curled his fingers around the handle did the silver come in contact again, but much less intense. He could handle it, plus the blade was what drew him in._ _ _ _ _ _

______It curved midway down the blade, only a small curve that separate the blade into two, one following the straight angle while the other curved away, creating something similar to a lower case ‘r’. The edges were also serrated, offering a more brutal cut. It would also make it much easier to behead vampires. “Well if you’re happy with it.” The women spoke before turning back towards the guns. “You want a gun Shiro, or would you like a little baby knife too?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“ _Romelle._ ” Matts voice was thin as he said her name, but the girl only smiled as she only offered a sideways glance to Keith, leading the white haired vampire away. Keith followed despite the gnawing feeling in his stomach. He couldn’t decide it the feeling came from the huntress or something else that was being glossed over within his mind. _ _ _ _ _ _

______Shiro ended up picking out a pair of pistols, the silver painted white with roses and thorns engraved on the side of the barrel. Matt offered him a pair of black gloves, and as the vampire slid them on it gave Keith an odd sense of deja vu, making him stumble back slightly. No one noticed._ _ _ _ _ _

______It wasn’t long before the three were geared up, Keith ending up grabbing a secondary knife attached to one hip while his bent blade rested against the other within its sheath. The hunters surprisingly had some scent masking liquid that the hunters would cover exposed skin in, an odd sensation sweeping through him as the huge gathering of hunters around them began to null themselves out, becoming hidden in plain sight. It must have been some special brew made by a witch._ _ _ _ _ _

______Keith was able to gather that they would not be needing the masking brew as vampires sense each other rather than smelling them out like they do with humans. Plus, they were planning on entering through the front, while the hunters would slowly infiltrate before launching a full scale attack._ _ _ _ _ _

______It was very risky, not only for the hunters life but for Keith and Shiro themselves. If Zarkon decided he wanted to keep them within his mansion, they would not be able to go against their sire. The only reason the two were able to live how they did was because their sire had grown tired of them, and as opposed to killing them, set them free. He could also chance his mind, of course._ _ _ _ _ _

______As the time grew closer for the plan to begin, Keith could feel himself vibrate with anxiety, stomach doing flips and twists despite his non functioning insides. Fingertips shivered inside of deep pockets as the vampire kept his hands tucked away within his jacket, picking at a loose fiber within. At some point Shiro noticed the way Keith was acting as leaned close to him._ _ _ _ _ _

______“They’re going to be okay.” Shiro soothed, the younger vampire surprised the older was able to tell what was wrong, even when Keith was having trouble deciding. “We’re going to be okay.” The man said, a hand coming up to the black haired boys shoulder and squeezing slightly. “We’ll be seeing them back at the house before sunrise.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Keith nods, despite the feeling in the back of his throat. Something wasn’t right._ _ _ _ _ _


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for spelling/grammar issues! No betas!

As they got closer and closer to the mansion, Keith noticed how the collar of his shirt began restricting his neck more and more, fingers constantly moving to it in order to free up the tension, his movement catching crimson eyes multiple times. It seemed the white haired vampire decided to keep his thoughts to himself though, both growing more tense as the distance continued to shorten.

Keith and Shiro were to be the only ones inside of his car, the others arriving from different cars at different times in order to not rise suspicion. They were to spread out across the mansion to various entry points so that the hunters would have easier access to the building, and therefore the plan would be executed easier.

It would start with the two of them arriving first, as it would possibly pull the attention of Zarkon, therefore allowing the others to get here mostly unnoticed. And so the small black car pulled into a large gravel driveway, the small rocks crunching beneath the tires and giving way to a small bumpy ride as Shiro pulled up to the mansion growing in the distance. 

The first thing he noticed were the towers, dark brick sprouting into the sky and giving way to a pointed roofs, iron growing from the very top. Some towers were a little more rounded and thinner, while others were more square and seemed to form the parameter or the mansion. As they grew closer, the tops of the roofs formed, triangular in shape with harsh points and even hasher iron creating a gothic design atop the structure. Windows were aligned with protruding bricks, moss and decay coloring the brick a ghastly gray and green. The home screamed _vampire_ , and Keith hated that he was going back. He thought he had left this place behind.

As they grow closer, flame lit lanterns adorned posts allowing them to better see the line of cars slowly filtering towards the main entrance, a handful of lowly vampires and lured humans clad in formal clothing acting as attendants. They helped the vampires out of their own cars before taking the keys and vehicle away, another attendant guiding the group inside. It made Keith tense to watch, knowing that it would soon be there turn. 

“We’ll be okay Keith.” Shiro suddenly speaks, pulling amber eyes towards the white haired vampire, despite the fact he kept his eyes forward. “We’re not going to get stuck in here again.” The man’s voice did not waver, offering some comfort as eyes narrowed on the mansion ahead of them. 

_We’re going to end this._

When it was their turn, Shiro easily handed over the car, Keith refusing the help of the attendant as he crawled out the car himself, fixing his suit as he waited for the white haired vampire to round the car. It took a moment, but once they were together, the two headed inside.

As soon as they walked past the threshold, arching doorway looming above them, everything in Keith felt _wrong_. Fear, desperation, loneliness, and helplessness swirled heavily within his chest, making him stumble from the sudden ache of emotions, a hand reaching for his chest. It felt like he was at a loss of breath, hairs all over his body standing up as he experienced a hot sweeping sensation just under the surface of his skin, making his skin tingle. 

“Keith?” A hand was on his arm, cold and comforting, which was odd, and that meant Keith was feeling heat, his skin actually giving off some type of warmth, which vampires didn’t usually do. Crimson eyes were watching him as he leaned against the wall, the boy not even realizing he had ended up there. “What’s wrong?”

The amber eyed vampire could only shake his head. “I don’t know.” He answered, fingers clutching his chest as he looked around them. “We… We should keep moving.” Keith said under his breath, not wanting to pull any more attention then they might already have. 

Shiro seemed hesitant, but nodded, offering the black haired vampire an arm, which he begrudgingly took. Pulling him from the wall, the two began moving through the main hall again, following the small crowds moving towards the main room of the mansion. The aroma of copper invaded Keith’s senses, making him falter only for a moment as his throat felt tight, and it didn’t take long for the vampire to discover why the smell was so intense. 

As they entered the ballroom, tall dark columns holding the ceiling up behind him, candlelight being the only form of illumination, offering an eerie glow to the room. In the far corner of the room sat a handful of naked humans, all chained at the wrists and ankles to the wall, all snacks for whatever vampire decided they wanted a drink. Blood stained their skin though, color drained and expression dull as they were almost hidden from sight. It made Keith stomach twist, anger and fear swirling within his chest. 

“This way.” Shiro said suddenly, as if he knew the other vampire was beginning to slip into a mindset he did not want to be in. Not now. He needed to focus, and so Keith turned his attention to the white haired vampire and followed, moving deeper into the crowd and further from the human snack bar. 

After a moment of brushing shoulder and pushing past some of the higher class vampires, headache inducing perfumes and colognes mixed with the sharp scent of copper filling almost every glass made the amber eyed vampire nauseous, a headache looming as the found the other end of the ballroom. Two archways stood at either end of the ballroom, both filtering to different parts of the mansion where Keith and Shiro would meet up with hunters and allow them in. But first…

“Have you even seen him?” Shiro asks, standing besides Keith with his back straight, eyes scanning the ballroom. 

The amber eyed vampire shakes his head, holding a hand up to dismiss a waiter as they walked around with a tray adorned with wine glasses, each smelling of a different blood. It made Keith cringle his nose honestly as the waiter got too close before turning away. “No, and I think that worries me.” 

Shiro nods, arms crossing over his chest as he huffed out a breath. “If we’re unable to find him, then we can’t begin.” He keeps his words simple, obviously not wanting to arise suspicion from the dozens of vampires seeming to enjoy the ball. The last thing they needed was the plan to be ruined by a bunch of vampires they weren’t even planning on killing… although…

Keith snapped himself from his thoughts, pulling amber eyes to focus on the crowd in front of him and continue searching. A sharp pain radiated through him, beginning from his eyes as he suddenly caught a pair of scarlet ones from across the room. “He’s found us.” Keith can barely manage. 

He can see the way Shiro straightens up, following where Keith’s gaze landed and shortly after spotted Zarkon across the ballroom, his wife close by him. Both of the vampires were clad in rather expensive looking materials, red and black being their staple color as the colors intertwined and created gothic looking patterns on both Zarkons suit and Haggar's dress. As usual, the women was hidden under her garments, her hands and wrists being the only things visible, if not a bit of white hair as well. 

It felt like only a second, but Zarkon was suddenly standing in front of them, his presence making both the vampires tense as he stared down at them with cold eyes. “I’m surprised you two decided to join us this evening.” The vampire spoke, power dripping from his voice as Keith’s chest grew tighter and tighter. 

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been to the mansion.” Shiro answers, the vampire somehow able to talk calmly despite the malicious aura overflowing from Zarkon. “The ball seemed like the perfect opportunity.” 

Zarkon hummed, cold eyes watching the two as if assessing them, taking into consideration what Shiro had just said. “I do hope the issue with the human had been quelled.” 

It took a moment for Keith to realize that he was talking about Lance. “Yes, sire.” Shiro lied, his undead heartbeat steady and unwavering as the words slipped out. Keith had to keep control of his own body as the white haired vampire told the lie. 

Another hum, this time sounding a little more amused them before. “I see. Enjoy your evening then boys.” Zarkon spoke in that same cold tone as he eyed them carefully before turning and disappearing back into the large crowd. Even after the vampire left, both of them still felt the tension and unease, standing watching the crowd as if the man might emerge again. When he didn’t, both vampires seemed to relax. 

“What now?” Keith asks, amber eyes moving towards Shiro. The white haired vampire still had eyes focused on the crowd, crimson orbs moving rapidly as if scanning the large group of vampires. 

Shiro only spared a moment to meet amber eyes. “The east wing. You know what to do.” 

Keith moved quickly after that, taking the opportunity and quietly moved towards the hall on the far left, disappearing under the archway and into the darkness of the corridor, the candlelight not reaching this far down. It wasn’t like the vampire really needed it, navigating the dark corridors with ease as he remembered the layout of the mansion, the rendezvous point with the hunters being a bedroom on the far east corner of the building, a large window facing the forest and allowing access to a few bodies. 

Still, the vampire couldn’t shake that gnawing feeling that something was wrong. It ate at his stomach and shoved daggers into his chest as he rounded a corner, gripping the wall and falling to one knee as the emotions became too much, the vampire letting out a heavy breath as fingers clutched his chest. What was going on? This intense feeling of fear and desperation felt foreign to him, like these emotions were being shoved into his body without his permission, as if they weren’t his own. 

One thought crossed his mind, but he quickly shoved that fear deep down as he remembered that various runes set around the cabin. This had to be something else. 

So Keith pushed on, forcing himself back to his feet and through the maze of halls until he found the door he had been looking for, having to use his body a little in order to shove it open, the sound echoing through the halls. He really hoped nobody would hear that, and giving how deep into the mansion he was, the ballroom shouldn’t be hearing anything happening on this side of the building. 

For a moment he wanted to close the door quietly behind him, but at the sight of the broken wood, Keith instead turned towards the window and focused on his real mission. Drawing back the curtains, amber eyes could see the faint glow of a moonstone in the distance, a rock sitting at the edge of the treeline that had a soft blue glow to it. A rock that had been infused with magic. 

Digging into his pocket, Keith pulled out his own moonstone, placing it on one of the protruding lines of the window and allowing the soft blue glow to be seen from outside. Almost immediately the stone outside goes out and three hunters dash from the treeline, keeping their bodies low to the ground as they sprinted towards the brick mansion, their auras sealed and presence almost undetectable. It was only a few moments before the hunters were at the window, Keith helping to shove the glass open in order to create a small opening, the three slipping through. 

“Nice work there, kiddo.” One hunter says in a low voice as he closes the glass, his voice a little rough and wavering, almost like how you’d expect a surfer to talk. He picks up the moonstone and hands it back to Keith, the vampire taking it back with a scowl. ‘Kiddo’ was definitely not the right word to use with the black haired boy, giving he was more than a couple hundred years old.

Amber eyes rolled as he stuffed the stone back into his pocket, the blue glow easily hidden. “Do you know if any other groups have moved in?” Keith asks, keeping his own voice low as the other hunters moved around the room and towards the doorway. 

The hunter nodded. “A couple, there’s a few more waiting to enter from underground.” He spoke, eyes scanning the room they were in. “You should get back to the ball before anyone notices you missing, pretty boy.” 

Keith wanted to say something, but a familiar voice piped up. “Shut up, Rolo.” Nyma called from the doorway, the hunter knelt down with a long dagger in hand, moonlight glinting off the silver blade. “You should get back, though.” The blonde women moved her attention to Keith, amber eyes meeting almost pink hues. 

The vampire nods though as he moves back towards the doorway and down the hall, keeping his pace quick as he wanted to put some distance between himself and the hunters. Keith would much rather work alone in this process, and luckily they were the ones with the most knowledge of the mansion, so they had the most liencey. Still, the black haired vampire couldn’t help but feel like it was a little too easy to get the hunters in here. He wanted to brush the thought aside, but he found that it kept gnawing at his mind until that same feeling of fear and panic swept through stale veins, a sharp breath coming into his lungs as he almost tripped. A hand came out to support him, the wallpaper rough beneath his fingertips. It was all that supported him as emotions stirred deep within him again, breath coming out in harsh gasps and amber eyes shut. 

It felt like a much more intense version of when he was with Lance, what felt like the boys emotions flowing through the air like an aura and sinking deep into Keith’s body, making him feel things he hadn’t felt in a long time. But this… this was something different. Something much, much worse. It left him feeling sick. 

And then it happened, amber eyes darting towards his right as he felt an intense pull in that direction, feet almost moving on their own as hands pushed away from the wall. Keith almost subconsciously followed that feeling, the only thought in his mind that Lance was safe at the cabin and whatever he was feeling was dark and evil, nothing like what the blue eyed boy felt. Yet he still moved towards that sensation, allowing it to pull him through twisting halls and down a staircase that made the back of his head itch with a familiar sensation. He had been here before. 

For what seemed like a moment, Keith was in a trance, but he suddenly became aware of himself as he stood in front large wooden doors, the lumber stained a dark black and gold wrapped around in the form of hinges and intragate designs. Two large handle holder stood at either side, both lit and allowing a small amount of illumination. 

Dread moved over Keith like waves pulling someone into the ocean, the vampire drowning in the feeling as that same fear and desperation grew heavier and more sickening within his body. It was barely his own will to reach out for the door, let alone force it open. The sight that greeted him left him speechless, leaving him disgustingly silent. 

In the middle of the room was a large throne-like chair, a dark gold carved into an sharp and smooth edges, a red cushion adoring the seat and back. Deep red curtains were strung up behind the chair despite no window to be seen, another large candle holder to the left of the chair, illuminating the figure whom sat within it. 

Of course it was Lotor, long white hair resting along his shoulder and chest as he wore a plum colored suit, back lining the hems and seams of the suit. That wasn’t what caught Keith’s eyes though, and that definitely wasn’t what made his body go numb. 

To the right of the golden chair, adorned with jewels around his head, biceps, chest and ankles like a gypsy was Lance, kneeling besides the chair with hands resting in his lap. He wore nothing but loose fitting, dark red pants that reminded him of an exotic dancers, even his feet bare as he didn’t even throw a glance towards Keith as he entered the room. Those feelings of fear, of desperation and loneliness all seemed to increase tenfold as amber eyes watched the boy next to the chair. A collar also adorned the boy with a chain attached, feeding itself up and into Lotors hand, a smirk growing wide on his face. 

“Well, well. I was not expecting you here yet, Keith.” Lotor spoke, fingers fidgeting with the chain attached to the barely dressed boy. 

As his name was spoke, the vampire could feel the desperation spike, as if Lance was there underneath that lure, as if he was still able to understand what was happening and still have emotions about it, despite being trapped underneath an empty exterior. It made his chest fucking hurt. 

“What have you done Lotor?” Keith seethe out, surprised he was able to convey such anger to a vampire whom was more powerful them him. It just didn’t seem to matter in that moment, not with Lance sitting there like some treat. 

There’s a playful glint behind deep scarlet eyes, making Keith even more worried. “What have _I_ done? More like what were _you_ hiding?” Lotor snaps, but he’s still somehow able to keep his tone calm… playful almost. Keith despised it. “Such a sweet treat you have here,” the vampire pulls at the chain, Lance falling forward slightly, “and you thought you could just have him all to yourself.” 

Anger built up and flooded out of him, the vampire shaking as he watched the blue eyed boy barely able to catch himself. It infuriated him, vision tinting red. “Let him go.”

Lotor only laughed, using one hand to cover his mouth. “Oh, you think I’m just going to let him walk out of here? I know what he is.”

Everything in Keith screamed, amber eyed widening as Lotor says the words, dread filling every inch of his being. This was bad, and bad was an understatement. This was earth shattering, Keith’s ears ringing with his phantom heartbeat as he watched the vampire stand. 

“Do you even understand?” Lotor asked, voice pulling at that playful tone as he crossed his arms. There was a breathy laugh as the vampire shook his head. “It’s as if no one has ever taught you to claim something.” 

Those words throw Keith off even more then before, because _what_? “Claim?” He asked, voice hesitant as he wasn’t sure he wanted to truly believe anything this man said, but then again, it may be his only option if he wanted to get Lance out of the situation. His chest grew heavy as he spared a look towards the boy, kneeling silently besides the chair like before. 

“You’ve claimed this boy for life Keith, and I’ve taken him.” Lotor says, voice dripping with malice and something else that made the younger vampire tremble. “What will you do to protect your precious human?”


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter... this chapter is gonna hurt. This is a warning. And the next chapter will hurt too, as it will be this chapter but Lance POV, but after that, fluff will stitch things back up!!
> 
> Blood, gore, and bad fighting ahead.
> 
> No beta, I apologize for spelling/grammatical errors

Anger flared deep within Keith, vision going red and body trembling as amber eyes loosely focused on the two figures in front of him. Everything was slowly sinking in, from the way that Lance knelt besides the throne-like chair to the emotions he felt swirling within his chest, both of his own as well as someone else’s. Lotors words had meaning, implications that Keith had not brought to his mind before, ones that had been pointed out and brushed aside without much thought. But now… things were different.

Claiming was something Keith loosely remembered from his time at this mansion, but from his memory, he could have sworn there was a different name, or something else that might have been similar? It danced in the back of the vampires head but he couldn’t bring it forward, this feeling of uneasiness nesselted deep within his gut. 

“Do you still not understand, youngling?” Lotor called out, the name being one he had not heard in quite a while. 

Rather then reply, Keith remained in his silent stance, amber eyes carefully watching the older vampires every move. The dagger at the back of his belt almost seemed to burn as he crouched there in a defensive stance, a reminder that he had something extra to defend himself, but feet stayed firm. He couldn’t risk rushing in-. 

Lotor pulls at the chain, harsh, Lance falling forward and just barely catching himself with fragile hands. For just a moment, Keith could swear he saw purple and blue on the boys hands, a sharp pain twisting his gut as he watched the brown haired boy fall. “Blood with as much power as his should not be wasted on lips like yours.” The vampire says before reaching down and grabbing Lance by the collar, yanking him up and baring his teeth. 

“No!” Keith panicked, pulling the dagger from its sheath and rushed towards Lotor, vision blind with rage as he lunged forward, every fiber in his body ready to attack. 

The older vampire was ready for his attack of course and tossed Lance to the side, the boy just barely lucid enough to catch himself. It was just enough of a distraction though as it pulled at Keith’s attention, creating an opening for Lotor. It was all too quick that claws dug into the black haired vampires wrists, keeping both hands just inches from Lotors face, his daggers blades even closer. 

He couldn’t help the way he snapped his jaw at Lotor like an animal. “Don’t you fucking _touch_ him!” Keith barked out, amber eyes rabid as he tried to pry himself from the older vampires claws. 

“You think I haven’t already?” Lotor says in a low voice, making Keith sick with the thought. He isn’t able to dwell on it long though as he’s tossed across the room, back slamming into harsh stone, the surface cracking beneath the sudden pressure of his weight. Even with a spinning vision, the vampire pushes himself up and turns towards Lotor again. “How can I resit with blood like his?”

Fingers tighten around the handle of his dagger, silver burning his fingertips and forcing his conscious back to the moment. As he looked to Lotor and heard him speak, an intense feeling swept over him, one of animalistic instinct and rage. _“He’s mine.”_ Keith hisses out, amber eyes glowing despite the trail of blood slipping down his brow, before rushing forward again, blade aiming for exposed skin. 

Lotor easily side steps out of the way, his movement fluid compared to the jagged swings of Keith, the vampire swinging his dagger in the older mans direction, adjusting his aim. Still, it wasn’t easy to just simply cut into Lotor, a dance erupting between the two as Keith constantly swung at him, whilst the elder vampire dodged every swing. There was only a few moments where his blade might catch Lotors skin, but almost every attack was dodged and countered. 

“You make me sick!” Lotor suddenly snapped, transforming his defensive stance to offensive and catching Keith off guard. He had just enough time to block the elder vampires blow, arms coming up to take the brunt of it, claws digging viciously into the dark fabric and tearing pale skin. The boy had to push through the pain in order to dodge the next blow, dropping to his side and rolling before coming to a kneel just behind Lotor, taking the chance to attack. 

It was useless though as the elder vampire was able to block the blow, Keith’s claws digging into the man’s elbow as opposed to his side. He withdrew quickly before Lotor had another chance to attack, but instead the man moved over to where Lance was, the hairs on the back of Keith’s neck. “Stop-!” He began to yell, but stopped as he watched Lotor unlock the collar, the chain falling to the ground. 

Keith felt sick as he watched Lotor lean in close to Lance, voice hushed and low as he whispered something in the boys ear, much too quiet for even the raven haired boys ears to pick up. The amber eyed boy barely had time to process what was happening before the blue eyed boy was walking towards him. 

“Lance?” Keith spoke softly, the name a breath on his lips as he tried to lock onto ocean eyes. Except there was something deeply wrong with the way Lance looked at him, and blue eyes sported a rather dark color, something closer to a purple rather then the light blue. He could feel the fear and grief radiating off of the boy, making fingers twitch. “Lance.” The vampire spoke again, this time firmer. 

The boy didn’t respond to Keith at all, instead he continued to walk towards him, something glinting in his hand that the vampire didn’t notice at first. It was only when the boy charged at Keith did he see the long blade hidden behind Lance’s back. 

The vampire had to act quick, almost dropping to the ground in order to dodge the large, and sloppy, swing that came his way. “Lance!” The raven haired vampire yelled, confusion flooding him as he stepped away from the boy, eyes dazed as they loosely watched the vampire. The feeling of desperation felt like a ton of bricks within Keith’s chest, and he could only assume it was a fraction of what Lance was actually feeling in that moment. “Don’t do this!” He yelled out to the boy as he came charging at him again, the sounds of the jewels covering his body clanging loudly as he sloppily attacked. 

Keith was purely defense at this point, unable to bring himself to fight, not against this opponent. The vampire even kept his blade facing away from Lance as he dodged the loose attacks, the blue eyed boy leaving plenty of space for Keith to attack. He wouldn’t. The vampire had to think on his feet as he dropped to his knees in order to dodge another close attack, the boys body an arms reach from Keith. He already figured out that the elder vampire was controlling the boy, but how the hell was he going to break Lotor’s lure on Lance? 

There was an idea, a bad one, but an idea nonetheless, and Keith prayed that Lance wouldn’t hit anything crucial as the black haired vampire allowed one of the boys swings to connect. The silver tore into his skin, burying deep inside of the vampires chest and he held back any sounds of pain. Keith was hit by a wave of emotions, grief and guilt hanging heavy in his stomach while he could swear he hear the boys voice screaming in his head. Pain sprawled from the spot, spreading across his chest and down his torso, his sloppy attack causing both the boys to crash to the floor. The movement sent the dagger deeper, a scream finally slipping past Keith’s lips. 

Something shifted in the area, Lance’s body above his going rigid compared to the loose form he had before. A sudden movement and blue eyes were staring down at amber, raw and wet, but _blue_. “Keith!” The boy almost sobbed out.

“How did you-?” Lotor yells from the other side of the room, but Keith’s attention is too loosely focused on the boy above him.

Keith let out a shaky breath, relief flooding his chest as he looked up to blue eyes, the sky staring right back at him. Even now, the vampire felt like he was in the sun looking up to the great blue sky, the warmth of golden rays wrapping around his skin. Only there was no warmth, and the coldness was settling back into his bones. “Run.”

“No!” Lance yelled out, fingers still gripping the dagger, panic surging over the boy as his eyes darted between amber orbs and the deep red seeping from Keith’s chest. “What do I-?” The boy was unable to finish as he was suddenly thrown out of view, the sound of his body hitting the wall and a sharp yell filled Keith with panic. Despite the dagger in his chest, he tried to sit up. That was of course, until Lotor popped into view.

“You’re a sly little _snake_.” Lotor hissed out, kneeling down besides Keith and wrapping fingers around the leather encasing the handle sticking from the vampires chest. The raven haired boy wanted to fight back, but a quick twist of the dagger sent a scream crawling up Keith’s throat and echoed in the large room. “Imprinting on an _angel_ like you’re not some _filth_!” The man spoke over Keith’s scream, a terrible grin growing across his face. “I don’t care what my father says. I’ll drain him dry,” Lotor moves closer to Keith’s ear, making sure to keep the dagger steady in the boys chest, “make you watch, and then when you’re begging me to end your pathetic life… I’ll finally kill you.”

Something broke inside of Keith, panic and rage mixed as he thrashed against Lotor, not caring about the way the knife tore carelessly into his chest. The way Lotor spoke, the way it made him _feel_ , he couldn’t just take it anymore. He had to protect Lance, he had to, no matter the cost. 

He grabbed Lotor by the hair despite the pain, the mans deep red eyes widening as claws dug into the vampire scalp. It didn’t last long as the man threw himself away from Keith, the younger vampire grabbing the dagger from his chest and pulling it out, the rage filling him blinding him from the pain, red seeping so deeply into his vision that he thought his eyes was filled with blood. Still, he could see Lotor through the red, dagger dropping to the ground as he pushed himself off the ground and stood. 

Keith took one step forward, his mind not noticing the way his body staggered as he could only focus on Lotor, as he could only focus on protecting Lance from this vampire, protecting what was _his_. “I’ll kill you first.” The amber eyed vampire seethed out before lunging towards the white haired vampire. 

Again they were fighting, Keith going mad as he swung carelessly, not taking note of the way Lotors claws dug into his back or ribs, he didn’t feel the pain. All he could think about was Lance, about protecting the blue eyed boy and _killing_ whatever threatened him. The stale smell of blood filled his nostrils, and Keith couldn’t tell if it was his own blood or Lotors, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. Not even as his back was slammed to the ground, vision swimming and tile breaking underneath his body, it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was Lance, pushing himself back up, all he could think about was Lance. 

But as his body was driven into the ground again, cold hands tight on his neck, Keith was unable to force his way back up, the damaged ground beneath him digging and cutting into his back, pulling him out from his rage and back into the reality of the moment. Lotor held him down, face covered in blood and cuts much like Keith’s, fangs sharp as the man almost unhinged his jaw to hiss at him. The raven haired vampire was trapped, his energy quickly draining as he instinctively snapped back at the elder vampire, hissing with just as much venom. 

A sharp laugh escaped Lotor then, making Keith’s stomach churn. “You’re _pathetic_!” The white haired vampire snaps, dread filling every inch of him as another sensation flooded his chest. _Anger._ But it wasn’t his own, it crept from the outside in and made Keith shiver underneath Lotor. “At least follow through with your threats.” The vampire growled at him, leaning close as the raven haired vampires wrists were held above his head, pulling at any fresh injures on his chest. 

Keith wanted to respond, wanted to bite back and not heel underneath this maniac, but his gut twisted as he felt something pull eyes to his right. Amber watched as Lance charged towards them, dagger in each hand, a scowl on his face and hid the panic and terror burning beneath the surface. Lotor didn’t miss the movement as scarlet eyes followed the motion, widening slightly at the half-naked charging boy. 

Time almost seemed to freeze as he watched Lotor swipe up once, knocking both blades from Lance’s hands but freeing Keiths in the process. Another second and the white haired vampire swiped down, the intoxicating smell of the blue eyed boys blood overtaking his senses as the sound of jewels and chains hit the ground. There was no shirt to hide the wound, raw and jagged cuts from the boys left collar to the bottom of his left rib, blood seeping out and painting his skin a horrific red that fills the room with copper. 

Lance didn’t even scream, but only the smallest breath could be heard, a whine even, as the boy began to collapse backwards. Pain shot up and radiated through Keith, feeling as if his own chest was ripped open, a guttural scream crawling from the depths of his soul as he tried to push up from Lotor, but the man was quick and pinned him again. Tears stung amber eyes as they snapped back to scarlet, and everything human within Keith was tossed aside.

The way his shoulder popped was nothing compared to how deep his fangs sunk into Lotors neck, stale blood filling his mouth as the elder vampire tried to restrain him. Eventually his wrists were free as claws moved to his hair, digging into his scalp and pulling at him. The vampire gave into the movement, but not without taking a chunk of the man's throat, back slamming into the ground and radiating pain through his dislocated shoulders. It was nothing, _nothing_ to Keith. He needed to get to Lance, vision gone red as he grabbed the man’s face with his claws, scratching and damaging whatever he could as he thrashed underneath the vampire. _He had to get to Lance._

“Stop!” Lotor demanded, his voice powerful but still had the hint of something else behind it. Keith could tell he was overwhelming the man, continuing his assault against the man as he waited for a chance. The moment there was a fault in Lotor’s pose, in his stance holding Keith down, the amber eyed vampire dug claws into the mans chest and shoved, a grunt leaving the vampire as Keith forced Lotor off, throwing him to the side before scrambling to his feet. 

He didn’t even think as he ran towards Lance and scooped him up, moving them to a far wall and away from Lotor, away from the danger. But as he grew closer to the blue eyed boy, the scent of his blood made Keith falter, the want and _need_ to drink sweeping through him as he not so gracefully dropped Lance to the ground, falling to his knees besides the boy. Amber was glued to red, breath harsh and fangs sharp as he looked over the sight of the boy. 

_No, not now._ Keith screamed at himself, fingers twitching as he tried to tear his eyes away. He could hear the weakening pulse of the boy, the rise and fall of a torn chest visible despite the small movements. But the smell was too much, the amber eyed vampires mouth salivating and throat tightening at the thought of the taste, of the feel of it sliding down his throat. He wanted it. _No!_

Two hands suddenly gripped Keith’s shoulder, and he was suddenly aware of where he was and what was going on. Claws tore into the leather and skin, sprouting blood from the multiple points, but the amber eyed boy said nothing as he kept his hues on Lance, on the red seeping from him. That delicious red. _Stop it!_

“He looks so _good_ , doesn’t he?” Lotor seems to purr into Keith’s ear, making the boy shiver and stomach drop. He did look good, he looked so fucking good and he _smelt_ even better. Temptation tore through his will, Lotors claws digging deeper into his shoulders as he tried to move towards the boy. “He’s not for you.” 

A deep growl left Keith, blue eyes suddenly opening and slowly moved to look at amber ones. A sensation of calm swept through his body as he stared into ocean eyes, and at that moment he could feel how much Lance trusted him, how in that moment, the blue eyed boy knew his life was being held delicately in the palms of Keith’s hands. It was his choice if Lance died or not. 

Keith turned despite the way claws tore his skin, amber eyes locking onto deep scarlet ones. _“He’s mine.”_ The vampire growled, the sound coming from deep in his gut as he staggered towards Lotor, the elder vampire taking a step back. 

Despite the pain in his chest, despite the smell of Lance’s blood that pulls at the animal within him, despite the way looking into those violent scarlet eyes terrify him, Keith charges. With everything he has he swipes up the dagger from the hunter camp and attacks Lotor, his movements sloppy yet tight, catching the man’s skin almost every time. But it’s still not enough, Keith being thrown to the ground, fingers desperately clutching at his chest while the other held tight to his blade. His body fucking _hurt_ , but he still rolled out of the way from the man's attack, but not before claws dug into the back of his suit jacket and yanked him back. 

“This is over!” Lotor yelled with a voice that made every fiber in Keith quiver, amber eyes wide as he watched the man's hand come down on him, just barely able to block it with his dagger. He felt weak, so fucking weak and delirious as blood continued to leave his body, the scent of Lance’s overwhelming him and constantly pulling his mind that way, it’s no wonder Lotor was winning this fight. Keith _was_ weak. How was he supposed to protect Lance if he couldn’t kill the man that took him, that stole blood from him, from _his human_.

Still, the hopelessness of the situation sank in as he bore daggers into scarlet eyes. That was until…

“Let him go!” Lance’s voice rung out, pulling both pairs of red eyes in the boys direction.

It could be from his blood loss or the overwhelming smell of Lance’s honey-scented blood causing him to hallucinate, but he could swear he saw outlines of what looked like wings behind the boys back, white light radiating from him.

He looked… beautiful.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to get Lance's POV out, bc I literally just wrote it and wanted you guys to be able to experience both POV's during this scene. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!!
> 
> I apologize for spelling/grammar errors, no betas!

It was a long time before Lance had become aware of himself, hands touching his body, cold and harsh as he tried to pull away. Only he didn't, his body stayed still despite the way demanded it to retract from the unknown hands. He still didn’t move. As something even colder was placed against his chest, metal maybe, he involuntary shivered, surprised that at least that something like that wasn’t taken away from him. But then again, where was he? And why wouldn’t he move?

There was another moment for Lance to realize that his eyes were open, if not just barely and staring down at the ground. He focused all he could on the ground beneath him, trying to etch the groves and color shifts into his mind, bringing himself more and more to the front of his conscious, head snapping up as soon as he realized he could do it. Blue orbs met with scarlet.

“Goodmorning, Lance.” Lotor spoke to him, sending another shiver down his spine, stomach and chest tightening as he darted his eyes away, turning his face from him. There was a round of *tsk* sounds before a cold hand gripped his chin, forcing blue back to red. “That’s quite rude of you.” The white haired vampire spoke, his voice smooth and deep, yet it made Lance’s skin crawl. 

Lance wanted to talk, wanted to bite out some remark, but his lip didn’t move when he wanted, his voice only a harsh breath as he tried to push words out. Lotor took notice, an eyebrow quirked as the blue eyed boy clearly looked stressed. 

“Did you want to say something?” The white haired vampire asked, a smirk growing across his face as a slender finger touched Lance’s lips. He desperately wanted to pull away, but his body betrayed him and stayed perfectly still, leaving only his eyes able to flicker between two scarlet ones. 

Suddenly Lance was able to take in a deep breath, mouth wide as the intake stung his lungs. “What the fuck did you do? Where am I?” Lance immediately bit out, voice rough and cracking as it was previously trapped. Fear and anger flooded him all at once as he thought about Hunk and Pidge, about how this vampire just broke into the protected house and… and what? _“What did you do?”_

And then his voice was gone, trapped within his chest, only air passing through his throat, his voice felt like claws within his chest, tearing him apart and ripping up his throat. He wanted to grab his throat, as if putting pressure on it may help, but his arms were trapped to his side, finger twitching as he _screamed_ at his body to listen to him. Why was this happening?

“Your blood is the sweetest I’ve ever had.” Lotor spoke, blue eyes flicking towards the man as he places a hand near his lips, fingers pulling at the pale skin, fangs poking out from his open mouth. “I’ve never experienced the sun, but I imagine it would give me the same sensation as your blood.” Deep scarlet eyes shift to Lance, dread filling all his senses as Lotor leaned close to him, fingers going to what felt like a chain and some jewels resting against Lance’s neck. “I couldn’t dare to drink more, father would know I’ve brought you here.” He said, almost longinly as a cold finger caressed the skin of his neck, Lance shivering in response. He felt helpless, truly and utterly helpless as he unwillingly leaned his neck to the side, as if offering himself to Lotor. It made him sick. 

Lance barely noticed when a collar was snapped around his throat, the boy now fully adorned in jewels and chains like some gypsy, his body bare of fabric besides the deep red aladdin type pants he wore. Blue eyes tried to take in the room, as if noticing the red curtains on the wall and the golden throne in front of him would help him escape. He was desperate at this point, the fear and panic settling in as his eyes watched Lotor sit in the throne, a chain feeding from the vampires hand to his collar, as if he was some pet. 

_Keith_ The raven haired vampire came to Lance’s mind, amber eyes sweet and gentle as they spoke in the dark bedroom, the feeling of his phantom warmth when they laid besides each other. It made him feel so fucking _lonely_ , the blue eyed boy wishing he could see Keith, wishing he could feel those kind hands as opposed to the rough ones that were handling him. He wanted _Keith_.

The door to his far left slammed open after some time, but he wasn’t able to turn his head and look as it was stuck forward, looking at Lotor. A smirk crossed the man's lips as the fog in his head grew heavier, breath deepening as he felt himself slipping back to the darkness. 

“Well, well. I was not expecting you here yet, Keith.” The words made Lance’s heart race, a fire traveling through his body just under the surface of his skin as he begs his body to move, pleads with his head to turn just so he can look and truly _believe_ Keith is standing right there. He wants to scream as his body continues to betray him, eyes forward and burning with tears. 

“What have you done, Lotor?” Lance trembled when he heard Keith’s voice, rough and _angry_ , true venom directed at the man sitting atop the golden throne. He could feel the rage and hatred coming off Keith in waves, everything around Lance became a blur as it became apparent that, yes, the amber eyed vampire was here, and the boy would not be trapped like this forever. 

Yet as Lotor stood, he couldn’t help the fear that crept up his spine and settled in his stomach, wishing so desperately he could shrink away from this vicious vampire. The conversation in front of his was nothing more then noise as blue eyes were trained on the white haired vampire, tears streaming down his cheeks as he was suddenly pulled forward, the boy just barely able to catch himself with sore hands, his wrists colored with blue and purple, more than likely from restraints that he adorned before. A sharp intake of breath was the only sound he could make as the pain shot up his arms, but his vision was quickly shifted to looking at Lotor, digits wrapped around the collar at his neck, fangs looking very sharp and very close. The distant sound of Keiths voice offered little comfort as he prepared for the worst, but he was tossed to the side, just barely able to catch himself once again as the chain of his collar went loose. 

Lance didn’t move, he couldn’t move, arms shakily holding him up as his legs were tucked underneath him, blue eyes glued to the ground. _Get up._ He tried desperately to will his body to move, for his arms to just push a little and move him, for his body to do _anything_ he asked it, but it seemed that he still had no control of himself, even as hands grabbed the collar around his neck harshly, pulling him up just so he could barely stand. 

And then the collar was gone, his throat no longer restricted and a hope building within his chest. “Take this, and _kill him_.” The words were whispered to him as a command, sitting heavy in his heart and forcing muscles to move on his own despite the way his mind screamed _no_. He couldn’t control the way his legs moved him towards Keith, fingers wrapped tightly around a handle as he grew closer to Keith.

“Lance?” His name was so soft, so fucking gentle as it fell off of the vampire lips, and it made his chest fucking hurt. Begging his body to stop, he took another step forward, then another, the realization sinking into Keith, the emotion sinking deep within Lance’s chest from the outside. “Lance.” The raven haired vampire spoke again, this time firmer. 

Another step, and Lance’s throat felt raw despite the fact that no screams escaped his throat, that no matter what, his body kept moving towards Keith. And then he lunged. The amber eyed vampire called his name in protest, but it didn’t matter as Lance sloppily attacked the vampire, the screams trapped in his chest causing it to actually hurt, the boy desperate to stop this, to _end_ this. Keith shouted again, but the sound of Lance screaming in his head was too loud to hear him, the feeling of the metal no longer cold against his hot skin. 

And then it happened, the dagger Lance attacked with lodged deep into Keith chest, his voice frozen in his head and guilt coursed through him like a drug, his body shaking. There was a sound, a breath, and the boy was screaming in his head, praying that none of this was really happening. 

The force of the attack took them to the ground, the movement of the of the fall sending the blade deeper into the vampire chest, a scream finally erupting from him, breaking Lance completely, body going rigid as he realized that he stopped, that _he_ was stopping himself, and pushed off the ground beneath him, blue meeting red. “Keith!” He wanted to scream, but it came out as a broken sob, fingers clutching the dagger as it still rested within the mans chest. 

Except he felt a wave of relief wash over him, foreign and not truly his own as he stared down at amber eyes. They were impossibly soft despite the situation, but then he seemed to earn their edge back. “Run.”

“No!” There was no hesitation in his voice as he responded, blue shifting down to the dark red seeping from Keith’s wound and back to amber eyes. Panic surged through him. “What do I-?” He tried to ask, but a hand at the back of his neck stopped him, his body suddenly flying through the air before slamming into the wall, a sharp yell leaving his mouth before collapsing to the ground, arms unable to catch himself. 

His vision swam, black spots moving across his vision as he tried to concentrate on something, anything, but it was all a blur. Something hot grew across his chest, painful and harsh, a hand coming to grab it as he let out a soft whine. He rolled to his stomach, pressing his forehead to the cold ground as he forced his legs underneath him, coming to a low crouch. Even with fingers digging into his exposed chest, the fire still spread across his chest until it was replaced with something else. 

_Rage._

As the boy pushed himself to sit on his legs, blue eyes looked to the two vampire across the room, Keith staggering slowly towards Lotor, blood covering them both evenly, clothes torn and hair disheveled as the amber eyed vampire whispered something, Lance unable to pick it up as the vampire lunged at the other. 

They moved in a blur like typical vampire fights, but it was short lived as Keith’s back was slammed into the ground, a grunt of pain escaping the younger vampire as Lotor held the raven haired vampire to the ground, mouth wide and fangs ready to tear into him, ready to tear Keith apart.

_Do something!_

It was barely his own conscious as he pushed himself from the ground, tripping over himself at first as he grabbed the first dagger, only a few feet from him, straightening up his stance before grabbing the second and charging at Lotor as panic flooded through him, terror being blocked by the sheer will to help Keith, to not let the vampire get killed. 

He didn’t even hesitate as red eyes turned to him, kept going at full speed as Lotor turned his body towards Lance, swiping with one hand to knock both weapons from his hands. _Oh no._.

Lance doesn’t even have time to react as he feels claws tear across his chest and down his skin, the pain shocking him and trapping the scream he wanted to release in his throat, only a whine passing the blockade as the sound of jewels and chains shattered against the ground, Lance taking one, two, three steps back before falling to his knees. 

He could feel Keith’s scream deep within his bone, resonating with his soul as it sounded animalistic, his back hitting the ground with a defining _thump_. Fingers twitched against the stone floor as Lance desperately tried to suck in a breath, his rise of his chest stuttering as pain fluttered through his upper body and traveled to the tip of his toes. Keith’s rage filled Lance’s chest, his body vibrating with a mix of pain and anguish as he begged his eyes to stay open, blue orbs losing vision again and again, the sounds of fighting distant as Lance thought about bringing a hand to his wound, but decided to stay still. Maybe that was best. 

But then he was moving, not of his own free will, but because of sturdy arms beneath him, a rust smell infiltrating his nose just before the familiar scent of fire and cinnamon took its place. _Keith._ He wanted to cling to the body that seemed to be carrying him, but it all ended too soon as he felt the ground meet his body a little too roughly, a cracked breath leaving his lips. 

There was something pulling at his chest, a feeling that made him radiate desperation and _wrongness_ as the boy got his chest to a small, steady rise and fall. Blue eyes fluttered open, head lolling to the side in order to meet with with amber ones. In this moment, his life was Keith’s, whether Lance wanted it to be that way or not. He could feel the way the vampire resisted the urge to drink from him, felt the struggle going on within the raven haired boy. 

_I trust you._ Lance wanted to say, but his words were stuck in his throat as blue stared at amber. There was a strange calm that passed between them. It was as if Keith understood.

_“He’s mine.”_ Keith’s voice rang in his ears, making a shiver run down his spine as he watched the amber eyed boy move from his vision, the sounds of fighting picking back up in the distance. Lance could feel the vampires determination, the need and _want_ to protect him, to protect _Lance_... but then it shifted, and something dark took over, something hopeless that made the blue eyed boy panic. 

_You need to do something, anything!_ Lance screamed at himself, willing his fingers to move, then his hands, and eventually his arms in order to push himself up. He felt woozy, all the blood that escaped him taking a toll, vision blurry and unfocused as he tried to see the vampires. All he could see was Lotor above Keith, a blow looking like the final one winded up and ready. 

His head stung with panic.“Let him go!” Lance screamed, his voice almost not his own as he stood, an immersive surge of power flowing through him as his own need to protect Keith took place within him, panic and fear fueling whatever power that allowed him to move despite his wounds, power that seemed to flow out of him and create a white life, power that propelled him forward to tackle Lotor. 

He could hear the man scream next to him, the smell of burning flesh invading his nostrils as the vampire quickly moved away from Lance, the boy just barely able to push himself off the ground as he felt that surge of power flickering. Still, blue eyes turned to scarlet ones, a violent look settling deep within ocean orbs. Lotor looks like he had been burned, his clothes singed and skin blacked as he stumbled towards the door, scarlet eyes wide with what could have been mistaken as fear.

Lance wanted to lunge at the vampire again, but his body refused to move, staying in the knelt position, power radiating off of him like a lanterns glow, encasing him in white light. It wasn’t his decision to allow the vampire to slip from the room, the glow surrounding his body diminishing as the wounds seemed to remember they were there, sharp and jagged pain spouting from the spot as his body fell.

Only it didn’t fall completely, a set of arms going under his body and cushioning the fall if anything. As blue eyes fluttered open, he saw Keith above him, amber eyes staring down at him with a mix of emotions, raw and open, nothing like he had ever seen before. 

It was beautiful. He was beautiful. Lance passed out swearing he was watching a sunset.


End file.
